Bright Darkness
by Neva
Summary: *REVISED VERSION* Two years after the events of True Colors, Kitty and the others believe that they're safe. They couldn't be further from the truth. Xavier is still out there... and he wants revenge in a big way. Feast your eyes on the epilogue!
1. Commencement

A/N: Hello, my wonderful, amazing readers! Unless there are any telepaths among you, none of you have any idea how happy you made me with your reviews for True Colors. Fact: with every story in this series, I swore that I wouldn't write another one. I think it's my muse talking -- he is Not Happy that I made him the villain. ANYWAY, this fic starts about two years after the end of TC, and will progress from there.  
  
Disclaimer: Oh, honestly. If the X-men were mine, I would be a lot richer, and if Lance were mine, I would be a whole lot happier.  
  
Dedication: For Caitlin -- my source of X-men facts, fellow writer, and constant supporter.  
  
Chapter 1: Commencement  
  
...and we are proud of all our graduates, who have come so far since the day they entered our halls. We may have shown them the way, but it was their own intelligence and ambition that got them here. Our best wishes for the future go with them, as well as the hope that they will carry the Hildreth spirit in their hearts.  
  
She wished that the principal would shut up, and was surprised at the vehemence of this fact. Under different circumstances, she would have been in tears. It really had been a wonderful speech until he'd gotten to that last part. Although it might have held true for most of the other graduating seniors, it didn't hold true for her. She didn't belong here. She hadn't belonged here for the past two years.  
  
To a casual observer, there would have been nothing about Bayville High that made her wish that she was standing on the stage there instead of the one here. The classes had been boring, and the teachers had all wished they had other jobs. One principal had been an evil mutant, and the other had been a certified flake. Except nobody had known about that first part.  
  
But the students themselves -- well, some of them anyway -- they'd been another story. And she found herself scanning the audience for a face she knew... besides those of her parents and relations, that was. Her mother was actually holding a handkerchief to her eyes in the best my-little-girl's-all-grown-up fashion. Honestly.  
  
Unexpectedly, her mind turned to her days at the Institute, where, as Alex had once put it, everyone came to watch whenever any of them had a thing. From Marie's and her school play to the talent show. And you couldn't forget Jean's soccer games, of course. Well, maybe you could. If someone wanted you to.  
  
...and although each of these young men and women has achieved a great deal in four years, the time has come to honor those who have achieved just a little bit more, gone that extra distance. We'll start with the Corlisle Award for Superlative Academic Accomplishment, first given in...  
  
_Why are you even thinking of that now? Why are you even thinking of _him_? In case you've forgotten, this is supposed to be the happiest night of your life. You're graduating, moving on with your life, finally leaving behind the girl you were in high school and becoming somebody that no one else knows, somebody that you don't even know for yourself... not yet, anyway. After all these years, you're finally living in the world again. Belonging. Which, need I add, is what you wanted in the first place. _  
  
...which is why it gives me the greatest pleasure to present this year's Corlisle Award to Katherine Pryde.  
  
She was so immersed in her interior monologue that she almost didn't recognize her own name, even when Ivy whispered, Kitty, that's you!  
  
Excuse me, she mumbled, pushing past her gown-clad classmates. She made her way down to the front of the stage, accepted the certificate, and gazed out at the audience, taking that oppurtunity to search for faces again. Wouldn't she recognize Lance? He'd never been the discreet type.  
  
Why had they stopped clapping? Oh -- they wanted her to make a speech. She cleared her throat. Thank you, she said. Cameras flashed in the darkened auditorium. This was totally unexpected for me, and I don't know whether it was a surprise for you. After all, I can't read your minds. Where was she getting this? And why was she making such a stupid joke? As if they could guess the so-called deeper meaning it held for her.   
  
I'm thanking the school, she continued. And my parents, who have always supported me and been there for me... and all my friends. She didn't have to look behind her to know that Ivy was grinning madly. And I'm thanking Lance, Kitty added. Even if you're not actually here, you're still with me wherever I go. All of you have brought me this far, and I wouldn't give up any of it. Now the tears were coming. Not for a single thing in the world. She made her way toward the risers to wait for the awarding of diplomas, to wait for it to be blessedly over.  
  
**  
  
And finally, after much speech-making and singing, it was. The seventy-one Hildreth County High School graduates proceeded to flick their tassels and toss their hats into the air to tumultous applause, and Kitty was barely off the stage before her father caught her up in his arms. Congratulations, baby.  
  
Thank you, she said into his shoulder.  
  
I remember when you went off on your first day of freshman year, her mother said sentimentally. You always wore your hair the same way. You were greeting your friends at the corner, and I wanted you to stay that young and innocent forever. The weight of unspoken words hung between the three of them, and Kitty wanted to say, _If I'm making a vow not to even think about it, we could at least not talk about it. Please. Just for one night. _ I'll be right back, she promised. I want to go see my friends, and then I'll say hi to Aunt Alice. When they couldn't see her anymore, she shuddered. Making nice with her relatives was not how she wanted to spend her graduation night. She prayed that Ivy and the others weren't planning on leaving without her.  
  
Her thoughts were interrupted when two arms slid around her waist from behind. Kitty almost jumped, then resisted the urge to pinch herself. This whole night had had a dreamlike quality, and it stood to reason that this was part of it. she said disbelievingly.  
  
You were expecting maybe Charles Xavier? a voice whispered into her ear. She turned, still wrapped in the circle of his arms, to stare into a pair of very familiar dark eyes.  
  
God forbid! she said, laughing. I can't believe you're here.  
  
I may have been uncivilized in the past, Lance Alvers reminded her. But miss my cat girl's graduation? Never. His shaggy hair had been trimmed several times over three years, and he was wearing a pair of pants and a shirt that were both free of rips. How's it feel?  
  
I actually don't feel any different than I did when I got up this morning, she admitted. Except happier. She let herself be enfolded in his arms, and was more than glad to allow him to plant a kiss on her lips. I missed you.  
  
It's mutual. They had communicated as much as they could over the past two years, and she had gone back to visit, but it wasn't enough for either of them. Not nearly enough.  
  
Wait, wait! another familiar voice drawled. Lemme see if I've still got it. The voice lowered an octave or two. What a touching scene.  
  
Kitty broke free from Lance's embrace, only to be seized by her best friend and former roommate, Marie Adler. Congratulations, sugah, Marie said. Her hair, by contrast, had been perhaps cut once since Kitty had left. The Gothic makeup and spiked collar were gone, and the face that had hidden beneath them looked a whole lot more used to smiling. We invited Kurt, but he had plans.  
  
Are you going to tell me _everything_ that's been going on at the Institute? Kitty asked rhetorically.  
  
You bet.  
  
It'll have to be later. My friend wants me to go with her right now, and my parents want me to go with them and my Aunt Alice... Kitty brightened. Hey, why don't you guys come too? My parents have been dying to meet you, Marie. This was a bit of an exaggeration. Her parents hadn't exactly forbade her to contact her friends from That Place, but they'd made it very clear that they themselves wanted nothing to do with it. And we can catch up and everything.  
  
Lance looked skeptical. Do you think they'd talk to me? he asked, making a face.  
  
As long as you don't cause any landslides, they'll be fine. This was more of an exaggeration, actually, but Kitty wasn't going to let anything bring her back down to earth. Not just yet.  
  
Are you positive?  
  
If they're not civil to you, then you can cause that landslide.  
  
He had never looked more like the old Lance than at that moment.  
  
No, but they'll hear about it later, Kitty promised. I have to go tell Ivy there's a change of plans. She plunged back into the crowd, finally happy enough to burst. This chapter of her life had ended, and the others were ready and waiting to begin. No matter what had happened in the past, it was finally over -- really, truly over.  
  
Things might have gone differently if she had known, at that moment, how very wrong she was.


	2. In Another Life

A/N: Thanx, everyone, for your reviews. And Saturn's Hikari, I appreciate that you are so desperate for more of my story that you actually tried to control my mind. If you try it again, however, I will sic my muse on you.   
  
Chapter 2: In Another Life  
  
There they are, Kitty hissed. Okay, just so you know, none of us are mutants.  
  
said Lance.  
  
Marie echoed.  
  
Kitty rolled her eyes. As far as Aunt Alice knows, I mean. She's the biggest gossip this side of the Mississippi. If she found out, half her sewing circle would know before the week was out. Change of plans! she called to her parents, putting on a fake-bright smile. Look who showed up.  
  
Alice's eyebrows shot up. Are these friends of yours, Katherine? She was a small, wiry woman with dyed-red hair and an enormous hat. One manicured hand had a death-grip on an equally enormous flowered purse.  
  
This is Marie, a friend of mine from the Institute. And -- Kitty took a deep breath -- Mom, Dad, you remember Lance, right?  
  
Greg and Miriam Pryde looked at each other, then at Lance. The silence between them was almost a physical entity as all four remembered the last time, three years ago, that they had been together in the same room.  
  
Er, yes, Greg managed. I remember you. He stretched out his hand, and Lance accepted it.  
  
Kitty did say that the two of you had... found each other again, Miriam added. But we didn't know that you'd be coming.  
  
Is there something I should know? Alice demanded of no one in particular.  
  
I didn't know it myself, Kitty said, still trying to sound cheerful and undoubtedly failing. She had been afraid of this. It was unbelievable that even after two years, her parents still had some kind of complex about her relationship with Lance. _Well, it's probably not just that,_ she reminded herself. _They're still recovering from the other bombshell._ I invited them back for dinner, she informed them. I hope that's okay.  
  
Greg cleared his throat loudly. Yes, of course it is. Our house is your house.  
  
Lance gave one of his trademark evil grins, and Kitty elbowed him.  
  
**  
  
What are your plans for the future, Katherine? Alice asked over beef-noodle casserole and an uncannily green salad.  
  
She got accepted to Amherst, Miriam said proudly. She wants to be a writer like me.  
  
You did not have to tell her that, Kitty muttered. _And I don't want to be a writer like you. I've never wanted to be like you. If I do have what it takes-- which I like to tell myself I do, no matter whether it's true or not -- then I'm sure as hell not going to waste it on heaving bodices._  
  
I never thought that it was that easy to make it as a writer in this modern age. Alice dabbed her mouth with her napkin. Not only do you have to have a fair amount of talent and decide ahead of time what your specialty is going to be, you have to know how to give the people what they want. Oh, I'm not suggesting that you _don't_ have talent, dear, she said hastily as Kitty shot her a Look. You know that I truly believe that you are possessed of a very special gift.  
  
I'll say, Lance spoke up.  
  
Big mistake. Alice swung her sharp gray gaze in his direction. So, tell me something about yourself, Lance. What family are you from?  
  
You wouldn't have heard of us.  
  
How did you and Katherine meet?  
  
We used to go to the same school, Kitty jumped in. When I moved to Bayville, it turned out that he had gone in the same direction.  
  
_The images were displayed on the computer one by one. As of now, Mystique is the governing force in the Brotherhood, Professor Xavier informed them. However, she is recruiting followers of her cause as surely as we are. Followers such as Sabretooth. An image of a huge, savage man-creature with long, stringy yellow hair popped on the screen. Or Toad. A scrawny, vaguely green boy whom Kitty had seen in school but never spoken to. And their newest member, Avalanche.  
  
Kitty bit back a gasp just in time. The figure on the screen had been outfitted in a grayish-green uniform complete with a ridiculous-looking glass bowl covering his head, but the face beneath the glass belonged to none other than Lance. She hadn't given much thought to what had happen to them after the office had collapsed -- part of her had even hoped that he hadn't survived. The way he had used her still burned like acid on the surface of her memory. They aren't... right here in town? she asked.  
  
You will doubtlessly see the two younger members in the halls of your high school, Xavier answered. They are serving the Brotherhood, our enemies, and it is doubtful that they will leave you alone. It would be best not to retaliate, however. They do not care about the opinions of ordinary people.  
  
If they try to strike during school, what should we do? Scott wanted to know.  
  
If you have no choice, you must do what will endanger the least amount of people. Otherwise, stay as far away from them as possible. Was it Kitty's imagination, or was he looking directly at her when he said this?_  
  
Of course it hadn't been her imagination. He had known what had happened between her and Lance -- either Jean had told him, or...  
  
For the second time that night, she wondered why she had even let him enter her mind. _Figuratively, of course,_ she thought. _At least, I hope so_. She shivered.  
  
Lance whispered in her ear.  
  
she murmured back.   
  
He nodded and took her hand under the table. Alice made a sniffing noise.  
  
...a toast, Greg was saying. To Kitty Angela Pryde, on her graduation night, as she prepares for a bright future. He raised his glass, then looked sharply at Lance as if waiting to see if he would catch on. But Lance did, and soon everyone at the table followed suit.  
  
Kitty blushed. She heard being whispered incredulously in her ear, and ignored it.   
  
Lance and Marie, how long are you staying?  
  
We flew up to see Kitty, Marie replied. We have enough money to stay in a motel tonight and go back tomorrow.  
  
If you would like to stay here --  
  
Miri, I don't think that's such a good idea, Greg interrupted.  
  
It's really okay, Marie said quickly. Well, that hadn't changed -- she was still amazingly good at sensing tension.  
  
I know it is, Miriam assured her. But Kitty's talked about you nonstop. The two of you seem to be close, and I trust her.  
  
We are. Marie grinned at Kitty.  
  
Miriam, is the pie still in the oven? Greg asked abruptly.  
  
Kitty's mother looked at him strangely. I think so.  
  
I think maybe I heard the timer ring. Can you check to see if it needs more time? I can never tell. The two of them rose from the table.  
  
Subtle, Kitty thought. Really subtle. I'll be right back, too. And you're one to talk. She hated leaving her friends alone with Aunt Alice, but desperate times called for desperate measures.  
  
The door to the kitchen was on the opposite side of the living room, and, as she had suspected, it was locked. She moved closer, hoping she wouldn't be caught. She had never been all that good at eavesdropping.  
  
...insane? We barely know these people! Greg's voice was sharp with anger and (_oh, no, please, no_) fear.  
  
Miriam was trying to keep her cool, speaking in what Kitty had termed her voice. They're her friends, and it's obviously that her young man seems to care about her. The least we could do is give her as much time as possible with them.  
  
-- Greg could barely get the word out --   
  
So is Kitty, Miriam said firmly. We tried to ignore that. God knows I did. We tried to give her a normal life, and I don't regret that. But we can't ignore what she is, or that she's bonded with other people like herself.  
  
We brought her home for a reason.   
  
For the past two years -- _two years_, Gregory! -- Kitty has been in a state of autopilot. She's excelled in school and maintained her friendship with Ivy, but the only times I've seen her truly happy are when she's reminded in any way of her friends at the Xavier Institute.  
  
She was tortured at that place.  
  
If she suffered, blame the manipulator who ran the place, not those two.  
  
I wouldn't be so sure. And once again, she could sense what was coming. I guess you've forgotten how that Alvers boy once tried to kill all three of us.  
  
He's obviously changed, and so has she. You're still living in the past. She's not fourteen, she's eighteen, and she can make her own decisions.  
Kitty moved away from the door and leaned against the wall for a moment. She should have seen this coming. Quickly, before her parents could exit the kitchen and catch her there, she scampered back into the dining room.  
  
Marie shot Kitty an industrial-strength Death Look as she sat back down. Lance looked like he wanted to do the same. She's been needling both of us, she hissed in her ear. Where do we come from, what are our plans. I swear to God I'm going to kill you.  
  
That's all I need, Kitty replied in a low voice. She made a tragic face. It's like _Meet the Parents_ from hell back there.  
  
Sorry about that. He reached out and stroked her hair, ignoring Alice's own version of the Death Look, which was much more potent than Marie's. Kitty should have known that after enduring multiple versions of that same look from Mystique, he had built up some sort of an immunity to it.  
  
Kitty's parents re-entered with forced smiles. Greg cleared his throat and informed Lance and Marie that of course they could stay the night. They ate their way through the rest of the dinner in a state of virtual silence.


	3. The Simple Things

Chapter 3: The Simple Things  
  
Please stay and have some pie, Alice, Greg offered.  
  
I'd be delighted, but I have to be up early tomorrow. Someday, real estate will sell itself, but until then... Alice retrieved her hat from the coat-hook in the hall and turned to her niece, laying her cheek against Kitty's and kissing the air noisily. Congratulations, dear. I'll expect letters telling me all about your college experience. It was lovely meeting you, Marie. You as well, Lawrence.   
  
After Alice was out the door, Miriam sighed. Consider yourselves lucky, she said to Lance and Marie. You didn't have to hear about her wild sorority days and how she's much more refined now. She shook her head. I know she's Greg's sister, but... She stopped abruptly as Greg himself entered the front hall.  
  
Is she gone? he asked.  
  
Lance, Kitty, Marie, and Miriam looked at each other and howled.  
  
Who wants lemon meringue pie? Miriam asked once she'd calmed down.  
  
Everyone did. They ate it at the coffee table in the living room. Kitty thought the tension had dropped a little, and hoped neither of her parents would bring it back up again by asking uncomfortable questions.  
  
And they didn't... at first. Greg told the rest of them about when he was growing up and Alice had always appeared to clean up messes almost before they were made. I swear, he added, it was like she had some kind of psychic gift.  
  
Marie pointed at some of the photos on the wall and asked about them. One was of Greg and Miriam on their wedding day; the other was an enlarged third-grade school picture of Kitty. Her hair was in braids and her grin was partially hidden behind braces. They glowed in the dark, she said, rolling her eyes. I thought they were the greatest thing since sliced bread.   
  
Where are you living now, Lance? Miriam asked at one point.  
  
With some friends of mine, he replied.  
  
Are you attending college?  
  
I would've liked to, but it's just the four of us, so... Lance shrugged. Pietro and I are working to support all of us.  
  
Greg made some kind of snorting/coughing noise into his coffee cup. Kitty resisted the urge to bury her face in her hands.  
  
I'm planning on going away to school, Marie spoke up. I've taken the year off, but I figure I've gotta know what I'm doing with the rest of my life.  
  
Miriam nodded approvingly. You're the one she's talked about most. The two of you were roommates, right?  
  
Yeah. We drove each other crazy at first. Marie flashed a smile. She was always playin' those boy bands on her stereo or typing on her laptop. Not to mention phasing through the door when I was getting dressed.  
  
It was as if all the air had been sucked out of the room. If Kitty had listened at the kitchen door for just a little while longer, she would probably have heard the agreement between her parents not to mention the M-word, or to even address the subject at all. It made her feel like screaming. _Just because it went bad toward the end doesn't mean it was always that way. Good things came out of my time there, and one of them is sitting on the couch right next to me, and if I weren't a mutant, we never would have found each other._ And when she looked over at her father, she knew that his reply would be something along the lines of, _I rest my case._  
  
**  
  
Kitty was up in her room, setting up the cot where Marie was to sleep. Lance stood near the closed door, watching her. So this is your room?  
  
she replied, not looking up. She was suddenly conscious of how everything in her room, from the movie posters on her wall to Bernard, her stuffed pig who was perched on the pillow, must look to him. She'd never had a guy up here before.  
  
It's nice. So're your parents. Just seeing how proud they were of you and how much they care about you, it makes me wonder how you could have given all of this up to move in with the X-Geeks.  
  
I didn't have a choice. She smoothed out the blanket she'd dragged out of the closet downstairs.   
  
I'm serious. You don't know how lucky you were. Xavier might have been loaded --  
  
Don't say his name, she warned. You might bring a curse to the land.  
  
But your parents look like they're planning to support you whatever you decide to do. They love you unconditionally.  
  
I guess. You know they've always driven me crazy.  
  
We're all driven crazy by people who care about us. Remember who I'm living with? He grinned. But I'm not going preach to you. I've missed you too much.  
  
She was about to say, _I've missed you too_ when he took two strides forward and kissed her fiercely, and she discovered that in this case, actions spoke much louder than words. They fell onto Kitty's bed tangled together. Don't worry about them, she murmured when they'd come up for air. My dad's got the whole responsible-father disease. His daughter graduates and brings home her hoodlum of a boyfriend all in the same night. You can't help how you look to him. It's the same old story. Maybe this isn't such a good idea.  
  
His hands had been locked beneath her back. He wriggled one free and ticked off the items on his fingers as he spoke. So far, we've been separated by the fact that we were fighting on opposite sides, by distance, disagreements, and mind control. Not necessarily in that order. And yet, here we are.  
  
Here we are, she agreed.  
  
Lance was just leaning in for another kiss when there was a sharp rap at the door. They disentangled themselves hastily. Come in! Kitty called.  
  
Marie opened the door. Hi, kids. She caught sight of her friend's untucked blouse and mussed hair, and shook her head in what it took Kitty a moment to realize was sadness. Of course. Just because Marie no longer used her power to fight evil didn't mean it had vanished, and the fact remained that she and Alex would never be capable of anything more than a clumsy and cautious embrace.   
  
To distract her, Kitty said, You promised to tell us what was going on. Lance said it was just the four of them. Whatever happened to...  
  
Lance finished for her. She took off again. Last year. Pietro was pretty depressed, but if he knows why she's gone, he's not telling.  
  
Scott and Jean are away at school some of the time, but they come back now and then, and give Ororo and Logan some help. Now that people are more or less aware of mutants, and the Friends of Humanity are sniffing around -- she made a sour face -- we're getting more newcomers than ever. It was her turn to count on her fingers. Evan's gone home. Kurt wants to.  
  
I'd like to see him before he does, Kitty confessed. I wish he'd come. Homesickness stabbed her like a knife. Lance, did you ever hear from your fearless leaders again?  
  
That's another thing that I don't think Speedy's telling us. I'm almost positive that he's been in contact with Magneto, but he won't admit to anything. We never saw Mystique again -- at least, not that we know of.  
  
It feels so weird not being part of all this anymore. Even after all this time, my home's not here, it's there.  
  
So come back, Marie suggested. You can still go to college this fall, and spend vacations and stuff with us.  
  
My parents wouldn't be thrilled. You saw the way they reacted to you guys.  
  
They seemed nice enough, Marie protested.  
  
Until you made that phasing comment. It's not that they had a problem with me being a mutant. It's just... they sent me to the Institute in the first place because they thought it would give me a normal life, and I let them believe that. After... you know... I told them the whole truth, and they flipped. That's why I'm here now. She flopped back onto the bed. Marie, you're just a reminder of what I was doing all that time. And as for Lance... they still can't let go of the way he was the last time the three of them saw each other. Her parents _weren't_ bad people, that was the problem. They were caring and accepting, and she didn't want to hurt them.  
  
It's going to be okay, sugah, Marie said softly.  
  
I know that, Kitty said forcefully. I know that it has to be. God knows, we deserve it.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  



	4. In The Still Of The Night

Chapter 4: In The Still Of The Night  
  
I'm sorry for busting in on you guys like that, Marie whispered into the darkness.  
  
That's okay, Kitty replied. Here it was, then: the late-night talk that had never occurred between them when they had last shared a room. I never asked you how Alex was.  
  
Long silence. I didn't tell you?  
  
Obviously not.  
  
Alex and I aren't together anymore, Marie sighed. We had a fight a couple months ago -- he accused me of not being able to get over my complexes, and using everything that's happened to me as an excuse.  
  
An excuse for what? Kitty would never understand boys.  
  
For acting weird. _I_ didn't know I was acting weird. We made up later, and we're still friends. Good thing, too, 'cause if I was still mad at them, I wouldn't be able to stand being in the same house with the two of them, let alone the same room.  
  
It was all becoming painfully clear. Did he meet her before or after the two of you broke up?  
  
Marie said with a trace of bitterness. She was a new recruit. Has powers like Magneto's, kinda, but nobody's perfect.  
  
What's her name?  
  
Lorna. Everyone likes her. _I_ like her. But I can't get over the feeling that he's just with her because...  
  
Because he can touch her, Kitty stated.  
  
I know that it was bound to happen sooner or later. Now the bitterness was much, much more than a trace. I spent more than a year getting closer to someone I cared about and who cared about me. That's got to be some kind of record.  
  
**  
  
It was a very familiar scene: the deepest part of the night, Marie sleeping soundly in the other bed, and Kitty sitting cross-legged with a blanket over her shoulders, typing frantically on her laptop. Before, however, she had been in a different room, and Lance hadn't been snoring peacefully downstairs, and she had been writing journal entries or letters. This time, she was working on something else. Nobody knew that it was in progress; not too many others knew that it even existed.  
  
She was midway through Chapter 4 now, which she'd titled, Landing On My Feet.  
  
_...The first time I faced him in a battle simulation, I wasn't sure what to think -- I tried not to think anything at all. To keep my mind a blank and follow instinct, like Scott always told us. He faced a similar situation with Rogue not too long afterward, apparently, and was a lot more ambivalent than I was. Maybe it was because Rogue had never actually hurt him, and I had definitely been hurt by the person I was supposed to be fighting.  
  
You really trusted me, didn't you, Kitty-Cat? my holographic adversary taunted. That's your problem. You trust too easily.  
  
Are you going to point out my flaws, or are you going to fight? I asked him, only vaguely aware that I was talking to someone who wasn't even there. It stops being ridiculous after a while.  
  
You could still come with me, he said. You could still join us.  
  
Over my dead body, I snarled.   
  
I didn't want to lie to you. Some of the edge was creeping out of his voice now. That's not how it was supposed to turn out. For a while there, I really did care. A slight smile formed on his face behind that ludicrous glass bubble. Sometimes I think I still do. And now it wasn't Mystique's minion I was facing. It was Lance, as I'd first seen him, and that smile was the one he'd given me when I'd stared at him in disbelief that I wasn't the only freak in the world.  
  
I was weakening, and part of me knew it, but part of me realized that I was the only one who had really seen and spoken to him when he wasn't wearing that getup or using his power to destroy everything in sight.  
  
So what do you say?  
  
I shook my head. What had I been thinking? It had all been an act. Every word he'd said, every bit of help he'd given me, even the way he'd held me at one point -- it was all part of his elaborate scheme. He'd tried to kill me, tried to kill my parents. Now he was trying to destroy everything the X-men were working for. Everything I was working for, now that I was one of them.  
  
You won't trick me twice, I snapped.  
  
Have it your way. The earth beneath my feet started to shake violently, and I almost lost my balance. Trying to remember what I'd planned, I phased into the ground, came up beyond reach of his power, and signalled for the others. They took it from there.  
  
When the session was over, we approached Xavier so he could grade us on our actions. You all did well, he said. Shadowcat, however, deserves extra points.  
  
For a moment, I wasn't sure whom he was talking about. I asked when it had come to me.  
  
You refused to allow your past connections to affect your present decisons, or to let your emotions distract you from your mission.  
  
I found myself wondering exactly what was wrong with that.  
  
Personal feelings are fine in their place, he replied, and I shuddered -- I still hadn't gotten used to him doing that. But you were in danger of making senseless decisions based upon what you once felt for him, and you recovered in time and remembered what you had set out to do. That is a sign of the way your wits have sharpened since you've arrived.  
  
Scott contributed. You're starting to think like a real X-man.  
  
I smiled, thanked him, thanked Xavier for his praise, mumbled something about having homework, and made my escape. I couldn't get my initial reaction to Lance -- to Avalanche -- out of my mind. The professor had been right: I'd been on the verge of throwing away all the choices I'd made and everything I'd learned. When he'd spoken to me like that... I had to remind myself very, very hard of what he'd put me through.  
  
Why, though?  
  
And if I was this confused when it was just practice, what would happen when I was facing him in a real fight? Would I be tempted again, and would I let my decision get me killed? Or would I have to force all my emotions aside, pretend that I didn't feel, and concentrate on what I was ordered to do? Of course that would be the better choice.  
  
_You're starting to think like a real X-man, _Scott had said.  
  
I knew how very true that was.  
It wasn't until I was safely in my room, and out of my uniform, that I let myself start crying._  
  
**  
  
How tempting it would be just to give in. The struggle tired Scott so much, and it was getting harder and harder to each time to maintain control over himself. So much easier to drift into the carefully constructed thought-patterns that had been set up for him. So much easier... and safer...  
  
But, as always, something wouldn't let him quit. He screamed the words in his own mind... and it took him a moment to realize that he was, miraculously, speaking aloud. Help me! he gasped out. Guys, you have to listen! He's controlling me... please help!  
  
Kitty, who had been talking quietly with Rogue, was on her feet in an instant. _Who's_ controlling you?  
  
Could he still speak? Could he still say it? Scott lifted his hand -- it seemed to weigh so much -- and gestured at Rogue. She knows! She and Alex both know!  
  
Rogue gave him a puzzled look. I don't know what you're talking about, Scott. If you think someone's controlling you, you should talk to the professor about it. He'll be able to help you.  
  
He stared at her, open-mouthed. Was she playing dumb, or...  
  
The voice in his head chuckled, as if Scott were some sort of circus monkey trained for the amusement of all. There's no use trying to gain their support in your paranoid beliefs, Cyclops. She and Alex have rather sensibly seen the light.  
  
Scott, wake up!   
  
He was still screaming it when he opened his eyes.  
  
Jean reached over and switched on the bedside lamp, then turned back to Scott. He lay on his back beside her, gasping for air. The sheets were twisted; he must have been tossing and turning for hours while she slept soundly.  
  
She laid a hand on his forehead, brushing the damp, dark hair away from his face. Shhh, I'm here. Even now, he was still having what Alex had called, real bad-ass nightmares.  
  
He had Rogue and Alex, and there was nothing I could do about it.  
  
It was just a dream, she told him. When she and Sara had been little and one of them had had a bad dream, their mother would come rushing into the room to comfort them, and she would always add, It won't come back. Jean wished that she could say the same thing to Scott now, but she had no way of knowing whether it would be true. She felt so horrible that she couldn't do anything to help him with his awful memories. Well, technically, there _was_, but she knew what he would say if she made any such suggestion. And to erase the memories without his knowledge... that would be no better than what Xavier had done to him.  
  
Instead, she lay close to him even after he had stopped shaking, and whispered, It's over, again and again. If the question of who she was trying to convince entered her mind, she ignored it.  
  
**  
  
When he had still lived in a world where he was the same as everyone else, someone had told him that there was nothing in the dark that wasn't there in the light. Now, he knew otherwise. The world had changed, and become one where anything was possible. And that was one thing that sometimes existed only in the dark: possibilities.  
  
As had been necessary, he had learned a great deal about the human mind in his life so far. In daylight, even when one was incarcerated, the mind was cluttered with worries, stray bits of thought, and the trifling plans for the present. The voices of those around him, questioning, commanding -- all of these were interferences.  
  
They didn't understand.  
  
They couldn't comprehend his gift, and therefore, they feared it. They believed that locking away someone like him would make the world safer. They had done this because they were afraid he would use his gift against them as he had supposedly controlled his team, who had been assembled to create a better future. To ensure that they would be able to carry out his dream...was that a crime?  
  
To those in power, apparently, it was. They saw him -- and all mutants -- as a threat to humanity. The discrimination that his friend/nemesis had always spoken of... it had already begun. The Friends of Humanity were leading witch-hunts, whipping mankind into a frenzy of hysteria and ignorance. Soon there would be no hope for them.  
  
But even before he worried about those whom he had to protect, there was the small matter of those who had been chosen to protect them.  
  
In the dark, the mind was unfettered by daily concerns and free to explore far-flung possibilities. Possibilities of escape from this cage. Possibilities of return to his rightful place as the bringer of salvation. Possibilities of retribution, for there was no denying, no forgetting the fact that he had been betrayed by his own people. If he forgot that, he would be straying from what must be done. He had always believed that they showed good judgment in most cases. But it seemed that they, too, needed to be shown the way.  
  
_It won't be long now, my X-Men,_ he thought, even though at the present moment, he could not make them hear him. _It won't be long at all._  
  
A/N: Well, I think that Xavier's been a little twisted -- more so than before, that is. If he sounded like Magneto here, good. I did that on purpose. : ) 


	5. New Faces

A/N: Still no point, I'm afraid. Readers of my fic I Need No Shelter will recognize one of its characters in disguise. For reasons beyond my control, I had to change his name for the purposes of fitting him into the Evo-verse.   
  
Chapter 5: New Faces  
  
It was doubtful that there was a single person inside the Institute that day. School had let out the day before, and it was the perfect first day of summer vacation -- hot but not too hot, with blue puffball clouds sailing by overhead.  
  
It's not fair, Marie moaned theatrically, reaching for the sponge. The others get to hang out in the pool, and we're stuck helping Scott wash his junk pile.  
  
I heard that. But Scott was grinning. You don't like swimming anyway, remember?  
  
At this point, I'd definitely risk bumping into someone. How come nobody's noticed how hot it is?  
  
The fact that you're wearing long sleeves might have something to do with it.  
  
Alex, meanwhile, had picked up the hose and snuck up behind her. Placing one finger on his lips to silence Scott, he pressed the nozzle and fired a full-force spray of water at Marie's back.  
  
She shrieked and turned on him. Alex Summers, if you even think about doing that again, the gloves come off!  
  
But you're cooled off now, right? He gave his disarming grin.  
  
_God, what I wouldn't give to see him look at me like that a little more often. And it's not fair of him to tempt me when she's gone home for the summer. Note to self: do not rise to the occasion. What is it with me, the Summers men, and unrequited love? _ Out of the corner of her eye, she could see Myriah Lindsay and Alisa Foxworth giggling behind their hands. Even Corinna Saliers looked like she was trying hard not to smile. All three of them were in their bathing suits, carrying towels. Myriah had traded her glasses for a huge pair of rhinestone-studded cat's-eye shades. Hey, Scott, maybe we should think about getting you a pair of those.  
  
What? Not on your life.  
  
I don't know. He'd look good in them, wouldn't he?  
  
I think so, said Jean as she approached.  
  
Why is everyone against me? Scott moaned.  
  
Because we love it, Jean said teasingly. To torture Cyclops is a time-honored tradition here?  
  
Watch what you call me, Marvel Girl, Scott shot back.  
  
Alex, can I borrow that hose for a second? Jean asked. The hose left his hand and floated over to her, and she caught it and aimed it at Scott.  
  
Who's Marvel Girl? Alex whispered as he and Marie watched the two of them tussle.  
  
Jean's code name when she first came here. You can see why she never used one again.  
  
Come on -- you take that door, and I'll take this one. I don't think he's much interested in car washing anymore.  
  
**  
  
Myriah bellowed.  
  
I never would have guessed, Corinna spluttered as the splash struck her.  
  
Who wants to play Marco Polo? Steve wanted to know.  
  
Me, as long as you're not said Fishface, finally coming up out of the water, which glistened on his greenish scales.  
  
Why not?  
  
Because you can find out where we are men-tal-ly, Corinna sang. And that's cheating.  
  
It's not cheating.  
  
Is so.  
  
Is not.  
  
Alisa was glad she was on the other side of the pool, floating on the inner tube. She'd been sure that summer would never get here. If she could last the rest of the week without having to think about her father's repeated requests for her to come home, she'd be great. It wasn't that she wanted to spend the whole almost-three-months cooped up at the Institute, but accepting his invitation would result in countless reminders of how lucky she was not to be living with her mom anymore.  
  
She had long since given up defending her mother to him or anyone else, and with her friends, she hadn't even tried. She could have recited the reactions ahead of time: _How can you still respect her blah blah blah, do you know what people like her do to mutants blah blah blah, do you think that they'll make an exception just because you're her daughter blah blah blah, you can't help what you are but she can help what she is blah blah blah._  
  
Well, she _did_ know what people like Delia Foxworth did to mutants. Alisa had seen it on TV or heard it recounted in any number the meetings that she'd willingly attended from the divorce all the way up until this past year. She used to think that Randolph Flaherty, who led the Wallglass branch of the group, looked so charismatic and courageous, up on that stage. _Who are we?_ he would shout.  
  
_The Friends of Humanity!_ the crowd always replied. Alisa hadn't yelled it along with them, but she'd come close a couple of times. That was what those rallies did to a person.  
  
_What are we trying to do?_ Randolph would demand next.  
  
_Reclaim our world!_  
  
_And who are we going to take down?_  
  
_All mutants!_ Delia had shouted this the loudest, having no idea that in a few short years, this would include her daughter. She still had no idea -- Alisa had left before Delia could ever find out. Run away to stay with her father, who had asked around until he discovered this place.  
  
As a mutant, she did hate the Friends of Humanity for what they believed and what they had done to (drumroll, please) Her Kind. But no matter how much she reminded herself of all this, she couldn't hate her mother. It had been just the two of them since she was in fourth grade. Delia was sensible, loving, and never usually hid the truth -- or hid _from_ it. Why she chose to follow a group that was based on so many lies was completely beyond Alisa.   
  
She tried to tell herself that it was because Delia was just like everyone else and feared what she couldn't understand, that she simply wasn't who Alisa had thought she was. But that wasn't even true. It was Alisa who hadn't been what Delia thought she was, who hadn't even been what she herself thought she was. If she didn't catch herself in time, she still sometimes thought of her power as some kind of curse.  
  
Myriah was also a runaway. She had set her house on fire by accident -- everyone had been okay, but she had decided that she just couldn't stay there anymore. FIshface hadn't had any such choice: his own parents had actually exhibited him as a sideshow freak to bring in extra money. When he'd told this story, looking at his webbed feet the whole time, Steve had started laughing, until he discovered that Fishface hadn't been making that up.  
  
Out of all of them, Steve was the luckiest. He had come from a nice family who had accepted what he was -- with the possible acception of his stepsister, who, apparently, wasn't exactly anti-mutant but thought that the whole purpose of the Institute was a bit shady and refused to believe that it could do him any good. But Steve had already been a human radio antenna, picking up random thoughts from people's heads, ever since the class bullies had chased him down. The whole town had been aware of what he was by the end of the week, and Phoebe had reluctantly admitted that maybe it wasn't such a bad idea. Her approval seemed to have been the most important thing to Steve, making Alisa wonder if there hadn't been something between them. She had wondered this only briefly -- it was way too V.C. Andrews.  
  
Last but not least, there was the unofficial head of their clique. Corinna had also been on the run from anti-mutant relatives -- in this case, her aunt and uncle. She had the power to hear from a distance and twist sound waves, the former of which made her, like Steve, a very hard person to sneak up on. With her short stature, hair dyed purple to match her eyes, and often sarcastic nature, she didn't seem to be your typical leader. But people did listen to her, and she solved even more disputes that she instigated.   
  
Lees, are you still with us? Myriah called, swimming over to Alisa.  
  
I was thinking.  
  
What for? We're on vacation. No thinking allowed.  
  
Thinking is allowed, Corinna spoke up. After all, the professor isn't here anymore. At eighteen, looking forward to her senior year, Corinna was the oldest of the group... not to mention the only one to have known the man for whom the Xavier Institute was named. Apparently, though, she tended to be just as close-mouthed about him as the older residents. Remarks such as this one were the closest she ever came.  
  
What was he like, Cory? Alisa wanted to know, even though she had a pretty good idea of what the answer would be.  
  
It doesn't matter, the older girl said predictably. Thinking is encouraged, though. Moping, however, is not.   
You're one to talk.  
  
We have three long months of freedom ahead of us.  
  
I have summer reading, Alisa said mournfully.  
  
Oh, that's right. You're in the Advanced Class. Very impressive.  
  
It's not impressive. We have to read ihe _Odyssey_ and a bunch of other books by famous dead people, and then we have to write essays on them! I swear, just because we're in the Advanced Class, Ms. Singleton thinks we're part of some sort of higher race... oh. The impact of her words hit her, and she began giggling again.  
  
Well, you just laughed. That's the first step. Corinna grabbed Alisa's tube and dragged it toward the other end of the pool.  
  
What's the next?  
  
Getting wet, Corinna replied promptly, and tipped the tube over, spilling Alisa into the water.  
  
You do realize that this means war, Alisa said sweetly once she'd re-surfaced.  
  
  
  
If she'd been worried about something before, it was hard to think about it now. If you let it, freedom definitely had that effect on you, and freedom was something to be enjoyed while it lasted.  
  
Which, in this case, wasn't going to be very long.  
  
A/N: Again, I promise that the next chapter will start to pick things up with more anti-Xavier goodness. Merry X-mas (grin) or the holiday of your choice, everyone!  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  



	6. Those Who Don't Learn From The Past

A/N: This chapter could easily be subtitled, A Very Short Chapter In Which Something Rather Important Happens. Or maybe, A Very Short Chapter In Which The Author Begins To Torture Scott Again. Whichever works.  
  
Chapter 6: Those Who Don't Learn From The Past  
  
_Well, here I am: Katherine Angela Pryde, high-school graduate, aspiring writer, former superhero... and, since Lance and Marie visited last weekend, I'm also considerably happy.  
  
The part is because my father was barely civil to my friends. I know, I know -- all fathers are like that toward their daughters' boyfriends. And it goes double when my love interest is a crazy freak who can cause natural disasters by force of will. I think that he's finally forgiven Lance for the little incident in the school office three years ago (and about time), but he's still nervous.  
  
And I don't blame him. I'm not stupid -- I know how this looks to everyone else. Innocent girl pulled into relationship with attractive rebel without a cause ( not to mention no family, raised in a series of foster homes, history as a troublemaker, no plans for the future) -- it's every parent's worst nightmare. And that's even before you throw in the mutant factor. I'm sure that Aunt Alice has reported back to the biddies in her sewing circle by now, and I'm sure that every single one of them believes that there must be a catch.   
  
I've remembered something he said to me a long time ago, when we were out together. It was that a lot of mutants come to believe that what they are is far more important than who they are, and that once they're accustomed to their gifts, they relinquish, or leave behind, the rest of their identity. He told me that I was lucky to have escaped that, and that he'd believed for too long -- or been led to believe -- that his powers of destruction were the the only thing about him that mattered. I think I'm glad to have escaped, if I really have, but I also want to think that it's not too late for him, either.  
  
When I mentioned this to him again, in the midst of that wondeful time before my parents pulled me back home and the two of us were a basically normal couple, he said that he hadn't had a choice, had never believed that he was worth anything before.  
  
Before you met Mystique? I guessed.  
  
he said. Before I met you.  
  
And people wonder what I see in him.  
  
I can't help wondering what his plans really are -- and not just whether they include me, even though sometimes I wonder that too. I try to keep from telling him that he can't live the way he does forever, but somehow I manage to keep the words in. So much has come between us so far. I don't want one of those things to be me.  
  
I've made a decision to try to sell one of the short stories I have on file. Wish me luck._  
  
**  
  
Scott and Jean sat together on the front steps, watching the last of the cars pull away. Corinna, Myriah, and Jason had gone inside, probably not wanting to witness their classmates' departure to homes and families that cared about them.  
  
At least they have each other, Jean remarked.  
  
I remember how boring it was to be stuck here all summer, said Scott. I used to see all of you leaving to be with your parents, and I'd want to go inside, just like the three of them are doing now. We should plan something to take their minds off. Maybe a beach trip, later in the month.  
  
Good call. You know how Cory likes to watch Alex show off.  
  
But he's with Lorna now.  
  
Try telling Marie that, Jean said drily. I don't need to be a telepath to know that she wishes she and Alex were still together. She actually came to me when she was depressed, can you believe that? I always thought that the day _she_ confided in _me_ would be the day hell froze over, but I was wrong.  
  
Things are different now, Scott said softly.  
  
So I see.  
  
He blinked. Did you say something?  
  
Jean shook her head, puzzled.   
  
I thought I heard someone... Scott trailed off.  
  
Out loud? she asked, frowning.   
  
I don't know whether to be hurt or amused that you don't recognize me, the voice continued.  
  
A half-forgotten feeling of panic was beginning to claw its way inside him. He _did_ recognize the voice. _No,_ he thought firmly. _No, it's not possible._ This had to be another dream... it had begun just like the others. He would wake up soon, and Jean would be beside him, ready to chase the demons away.  
  
Possible? Many things are possible, including the notion that this is a dream. But I doubt it... Cyclops.  
  
_No! It can't be! All a dream... it has to be..._  
  
His surroundings suddenly seemed very far away, as did Jean's voice. Are you all right?  
  
I'm fine. Sorry. It took Scott a moment to realize he was the one to have spoken. He had in no way meant to say those words. Panic made its familiar journey to horror as he tried to form the ones that he really wanted to say -- _He's got me again somehow, go warn the others_ -- and failed miserably.  
  
she said with a smile. Let's go inside.  
  
That's better. I can see that I have a great deal of catching up to do.  
  
_It's all a dream! It has to be!_ But he knew that it wasn't, that no matter how loudly he screamed, he would only be heard by one person... the one person he had hoped never to have to deal with again.  
  
And this time, he wasn't going to wake up.   
  
  



	7. The Darkest Hour

A/N: I'm pretty sure I'm going to kill Xavier at the end of this one, but I've been seriously considering killing Scott as well. What does anybody think?  
  
Chapter 7: The Darkest Hour  
  
Scott had grown stronger and more determined in the past two years; he didn't sink immediately into submission and despair. Instead, he struggled bitterly, alternately screaming out mental pleas to Jean and silently cursing with every breath. Xavier could have dampened the internal shouts of terror and fury, but he rather enjoyed them. Very well fought, my friend. But surely you know from experience that -- what's the line again? -- resistance is futile.  
  
_How did you..._ Scott began.  
  
Enter your mind without setting off alarms? Telling you would ruin things, now, wouldn't it?  
  
_Do you think you'll get away with this?  
_  
Must we lapse into cliches again, Cyclops? Very well, if you insist -- I already have gotten away with it.  
  
_Don't call me that.  
_  
And why not? It is, after all, who you once were.  
  
_In case you haven't heard, the team is no more.  
_  
Xavier had suspected as much. And we must remedy that, you and I.  
  
_Please don't hurt the others.  
_  
Why, Scott, surely you know that I have never set out to hurt any of my X-Men. I don't intend to start now. Bored with the younger man's protests, he had Scott stand up and walk into the house after Jean.  
  
**  
  
_Dear Mother and Daddy,  
  
School's out, and I'm glad. Most of the students have gone home for the summer, and Ororo's visiting her family... it's just Corinna, Jason, Myriah, Marie, Scott, Alex, and me. Finally, some peace and quiet... or as much of such a thing as you can manage at a place like this.  
  
Granted, it's more peaceful than it was when you-know-who was still here..._  
  
Jean frowned, wondering if she should have put that in, even as a joke. There were cetain things she tried to refrain from mentioning to her parents. Xavier was one, by her own choice. Sara was another... and that had definitely been their choice. When Jean had told her parents that Sara had stayed with the Brotherhood for a while and then hit the road again, it had been all if-she-wants-to-go-out-and-ruin-her-life and she's-made-her-bed-and-now-she-has-to-lie-in-it and if-she-ever-darkens-our-doorstep-again. When the fight had become more between John and Elaine Grey than between either of them and their other daughter, Jean had hung up.  
  
Now their letters were cautious, safe, her parents' full of inquiries about college and Scott and the other students; Jean replying with simple answers to their questions. She knew that she was still, in their eyes, the good daughter, the one who'd gone out and Done Something with her life. It was slightly unconventional, perhaps, but at least it was Something.  
  
Kitty's and Evan's parents hadn't known about the X-Men, but Jean's had known and actually encouraged it. She had gotten to the point at which she could have shared anything with them... or so she had thought. But the one thing she had never been able to tell them was how pissed off she still was at how they had treated her sister over the years. When both girls had still been living at home, it had been fine, but when Jean's powers had surfaced...  
  
She shook her head to clear it, deleted the bit about Xavier, and kept writing.  
  
_Marie flew to Illinois a few days ago to visit Kitty for her high school graduation. We all miss Kitty a lot, no matter how much she used to annoy us. Grin. I guess you never know how much you need something till it's gone._  
  
  
  
Scott stood in the doorway to their room, arms folded.  
  
She smiled up at him. Oh, hi. I was just writing to my parents. I feel like someone should screen it for subliminal references to the family Jezebel. You mind? He didn't reply.   
  
He'll be back in a moment, Scott said.  
  
_Who_ will be back in a moment? _Something is very, very wrong here._  
  
A great deal has changed since I left you, Jean, but it appears that you are as reluctant as ever to face the truth. Scott's lips were moving, and the voice definitely sounded like his, but there was something about the tone... or lack thereof...  
  
Jean was on her feet in a split second, and immediately regretted it. The realization of what was going on was enough to make her sit down again. _Oh, God, no. It can't be._ She tried to speak, with marginal success. Professor Xavier, she croaked.  
  
And it only took you a moment to guess. Xavier shook Scott's head from side to side.   
  
What... how...  
  
I'll leave you to puzzle that one out, my child.  
  
Leave Scott alone! she cried. Haven't you put him through enough?  
  
Why have you dissolved the team? Xavier demanded, ignoring her.  
  
Because we don't have any more use for it. Now her voice was a little stronger. Because we believe that humans and mutants can live peacefully together even if they do know that we exist as something besides mysterious saviors.  
  
And a fine job you're doing of it. Anti-mutant groups running rampant, our enemies re-mobilizing...  
  
Our enemies? Jean repeated dumbly. Do you mean the Brotherhood? They're not a threat anymore.  
  
That's where you're wrong. Somebody needs to deal with the evil that still exists in the world. Jean, I'm surprised at you. Whatever happened to the wonderful young girl I took in, the one who was always so eager to please.  
  
She grew up, she hissed. Deal with it. I don't know how you've escaped... or whatever's happened... but it won't last. And you'll leave us alone. Starting now.  
  
Try for now,' Xavier corrected her. You refuse to join me on your own, child. But I'm sure you recall all too well how little difference that makes to me. He lifted Scott's hand in a mocking wave. Goodbye for now.  
  
Scott swayed on his feet and stared around, confused. How'd I get in here?  
  
Jean stared back at him for a moment, then burst into tears.  
  
**  
  
So, where'd you disappear to on Grad Night? Ivy wanted to know.  
  
I already told you, said Kitty. Lance and Marie came to visit and I invited them back to my house.  
  
You and Lance must be pretty serious if you ditched your friends for him. Ivy gave a giant, fake pout. You should have brought them to the party.  
  
Kitty tried to imagine Lance attempting to make an impression in front of her high school friends, and banished the thought quickly. We are pretty serious.  
  
I guess. He's practically all you've talked about. Are you planning to get married or what?  
  
Excuse me? Definitely or what!' We're way too young.  
  
You're eighteen, Ivy reminded her. And he's older, right?  
  
Twenty. But that's still too young. Besides, I have college and a writing career and all that real-life stuff ahead of me. He'd have a hissy fit if he even knew I was thinking about that. Which I'm not! she added quickly. Ivy didn't know Lance, and she had no business even bringing this up. How was the party, anyway?  
  
Fantastic. Peter Tate asked about you, but I told him your affections were elsewhere.  
  
Kitty said fervently. She and Peter had flirted pretty heavily back in ninth grade, and had been within a hair of hooking up when everything had changed. When she'd returned two years before, he had apparently decided to pick up where they'd left off. What's going to happen to him?  
  
Precisely nothing, Ivy said grimly. He's probably going to end up living in his parents' basement and flipping burgers for a living. And leading Dungeons and Dragons games down at the comic book store on weekends.  
  
The phone in the other room beeped shrilly. A minute later, Miriam shouted, Kitty! Phone!  
  
Be back, Kitty said, and vanished. Ivy could hear her voice from the living room, even though she hadn't meant to eavesdrop. Pause. Oh, hey! We were just talking about you! Pause. Lance, what's wrong? Slow down. What kind of a problem? Pause. Oh, my God. How do you know? Long pause, in which her face went very pale. Oh, my God. Pause. I'll see. I think I can come. Long pause. I love you, too. Hang in there. She hung up, her hands trembling.  
  
Miriam advanced toward her and asked her what was wrong. Ivy couldn't hear her reply, but she thought it contained the word Whoever that was. She suddenly realized that she knew almost nothing about the years in which Kitty had been away.  
  
Her friend re-entered the room. Bad news? Ivy ventured.  
  
Something like that, Kitty said tonelessly.  
  
Are your friends okay?  
  
Right now, they are, Kitty replied, still speaking in a terrible monotone. But I don't know how long that's going to last.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  



	8. In Onion There Is Strength

A/N: You people seem to really like Scooter boy, don't you? All those reviews telling me to please not kill him off. So will I? I'm not telling! ::Evil laughter:: This chapter is mostly recapping things, because I have a feeling that I'm about to hit something of a block.  
  
Chapter 8: In Onion There Is Strength  
  
Marie sat on the couch in the front room, hugging her knees. She couldn't stop shivering. She, like the others, was in a state of supreme denial, even though she had always tried to take things as they were.  
  
Are you okay? Alex asked. She hadn't even realized when he'd sat down next to her.  
  
she said truthfully. I'm scared.  
  
Me, too.  
  
What I keep feeling, actually, she went on, is that I have to take charge somehow. Like since I was the one who caused all this, it's my responsibility to stop it. It's all...  
  
He covered her mouth with one gloved hand. If you say, It's all my fault,' I'm zapping you. No questions asked.  
  
Marie nodded. I hate him, she said through clenched teeth. I thought I knew what that was like when I was with the Brotherhood, but I only knew what Mystique told us. It wasn't... personal. Now it is. When is he gonna stop _haunting_ us?  
  
Ororo entered the room, trailing a trio of frightened-looking teenagers. Everyone have a seat, she said smoothly. Marie had to give the lady credit -- if she was frightened, there was nothing to show for it. We have something of a problem.  
  
I'll say, Scott muttered.  
  
All of you know that up until two years ago, Professor Xavier was in charge of the Institute and the X-Men, Ororo continued. And most of you have more or less figured out that all of us would gladly have died for him and his dream. She grimaced. It never even occurred to anyone that he might be tricking us... much less controlling our minds.  
  
Was he doing that to... all of you? Myriah wanted to know.  
  
I'm still not certain of that. But we do know that Scott was one of his victims, as were Jean and Kitty. She had her own suspicions about her involvement in the hurricane that Scott and Alex had gotten caught in two years ago, but since all she had _were_ suspicions, and everyone had been fine, there was no use digging it up now.  
  
What happened to Kitty?  
  
If she wants to tell you that, she will. All I will say is that she was the one to tell the rest of the team of Xavier's true nature.   
  
Corinna nodded. I didn't really know what she was talking about, she put in. Xavier had always seemed like a pretty decent person. She was lying, and she knew it, and she knew that everyone else knew it, too. They actually believed that that particular batttle had been the first time she'd ever dealt with him. _Ladies and gentlemen,_ she thought, _my incredibly gullible, um, friends._  
  
Xavier tracked down Marie, whom he believed was responsible, and threatened her. In self-defense, she absorbed most of his life-force.  
  
Marie bit her lip, and Alex wondered for the first time if maybe she didn't still have some of Xavier's thoughts and memories floating around in her head, even now. _She actually looks vulnerable -- who knew it was even possible? Sad, too. I wish I could comfort her now. As a friend, of course._  
  
Since then, Ororo was saying, he's been in a rather high-security state prison equipped with computers that can detect telepathic energy. Most of the guards who go near him are able to shield their minds, and so are we... or so we thought. But just yesterday, Jean made a phone call and found out that he's, well, escaped. And nobody has any clue that he was ever there.  
  
Will he try to get at any of us? Myriah quavered, looking over at Jason and Corinna.  
  
I doubt it, Jean spoke up. I'm not even sure he knows that we have new students. If I'm right, he'll be most interested in the ones responsible for what happened to him: Marie, Scott, and Kitty.  
  
Does Kitty know about any of this? Alex asked.  
  
I think that Lance got in touch with her, Ororo said. I realize that this is a hard situation, but we have a better chance of surviving if we stick together.  
  
Jason chimed in. In onion there is strength.  
  
said several.  
  
Never mind. I saw it on a T-shirt. I think it was supposed to be   
  
What are we going to do? It was Scott this time. He had clearly not heard -- or ignored -- Jason's remark.  
  
I never thought I'd actually hear you say that, Marie teased. But she was wondering the same thing.  
  
And so, apparently, was everyone else.  
  
**  
  
Lance, are you going to stay there all night? Todd wanted to know.  
  
Lance didn't move away from the window.   
  
And I assume that means you're not gonna go to work, right?  
  
This is more important.  
  
I bet it is. You're gonna get fired, you know. And they'll replace you like _that_. Anyone can make copies. Lance worked nights at the twenty-four hour Kwik Koppee shop on Whitehead Street. He got paid extra because he was the only one willing to take the night shift.  
  
I'll go when it's time. Lay off.  
  
You're worried about Kitty, aren't you? A faint hint of emotion crept into Todd's voice.  
  
Can I help it?  
  
You could try. It's pretty easy to squash feelings, yo.  
  
I know how easy it is, Lance snapped. I did it for some twelve years, remember? One of the things he had to give Kitty credit for was the way she had shown him that maybe squashing your feelings _wasn't_ the way to go. I'm worried about her 'cause she was one of the ones to help take Xavier down. Don't you ever watch movies? When the bad guy escapes, the first thing he wants is revenge.  
  
Todd frowned. Xavier's the bad guy now? I thought that was _us_, yo.  
  
It doesn't matter. Or at least I thought it didn't. Now Lance actually looked away from the window. You guys eat yet?  
  
The younger boy nodded. Leftover spaghetti. We saved some for you.  
  
Thanks. I'll have some before I leave.  
  
As soon as he was alone, however, he was staring out the window again, thinking of Kitty. _I know I said that she should come back, but that probably isn't such a good idea after all. She's safer where she is. If she comes back, he'll..._ But he wouldn't let himself finish the thought. One way or another, he'd made... well, it wasn't the _stupidest_ mistake of his life. If he had to venture a guess, that would be the first time he'd tricked Kitty into helping him. Or maybe the (groan) soccer game incident. Or maybe it was joining the Brotherhood in the first place.  
  
No, wait, strike that one.  
  
But getting her involved in this again was up there, definitely. Lance could only pray that her ditzy mom had said no, but he also knew that nothing was going to stop her when it came to her friends. It was one of the many things he loved about her.  
  
_Face it -- she's going to come back for a reunion with the ex-X-Geeks. And I'd better be here when she does. I'm not going to let anything happen to her. Anything. _   
  
  
  
  
  



	9. Homecoming

Chapter 9: Homecoming  
  
As her plane left the ground, Kitty's mind travelled back to the scene only a few hours before.  
  
_You want to... Miriam seemed unable to finish her sentence. She had laid down the knife she'd been using to chop onions. The soup pot was already simmering on the stove, and a block of cheese sat on the counter, ready for grating. The Bartons were eating with them tonight, and Miriam was swerving into hostess mode.   
  
Fly back to Bayville, Kitty said calmly.  
  
Why? I know it's a terrible thing, but...  
  
I have to be there, she said firmly. They need me.  
  
There are a great many of them, and only one of him. And they don't even know where he is. How could you possibly help by returning?  
  
I don't know. And then she repeated, more forcefully, They need me. I was the one to tell the others what Xavier was up to, so I'm involved.  
  
And that's why it would be safer if you stayed. From what you told me, and what I saw on the news after... it happened, Professor Xavier is very influential and very dangerous. When I heard the whole story, I thanked God that you had never been affected by whatever he did to your friend Scott.  
  
Kitty tugged at the end of her long single braid in frustration, partly because she knew that there was no way she was going to change her mother's mind about this, but because she knew that what Miriam had just said wasn't exactly the truth. When she'd told her parents about Lance, she had resolved to tell them everything, from his time at the Institute to their secret meetings. What she had omitted, however, was the specific reason why Xavier hadn't been allowed to know. If Greg and Miriam had been aware of that, they wouldn't have merely been satisfied with pulling her back home.  
  
It wasn't because she was ashamed that she had never told them. It was because she hadn't felt that there was any point to it. They would only be more worried about her. There had been absolutely no reason for them to know.  
  
But now there was.  
  
She gathered her courage. There's one more thing that I never exactly told you.  
  
And what's that? Her mother moved to switched off the flame on the stove.  
  
Do you remember how I ran away to be with Lance, and the other -- She caught herself just in time. How the others rescued me and brought me back?  
  
  
  
That was the truth, but it wasn't the whole truth. I hit my head on a falling rock, and when I woke up, I was back at the Institute.  
  
I know, Miriam said a little impatiently.  
  
Xavier told me that Lance had tried to kill me, and I believed him.  
  
You believed him? But I thought you still cared for Lance.  
  
I believed him because he made me, Kitty said quietly.  
  
Clunk. The spoon that Miriam had been using to stir the soup fell into the pot. So he didn't leave your mind untouched, she said in a tight voice.  
  
It was very mild, Kitty explained. Not nearly as bad as what he did to Scott. But I didn't even realize the truth until Marie told me, and I don't think I would ever have realized it.  
  
What does that have to do with what you're asking?  
  
Basically, it means that I'm still part of this whether any of us like it or not. I know you guys wanted me to have a normal life, but it looks like that isn't going to happen. Not yet._  
  
What had followed had been a whirlwind of rapid explanations to Greg, packing, and last-minute flight arrangements. She thought that both her parents had looked slightly sad as she left, as if they knew that she was returning to a world that they could never be part of.  
  
Now, she looked out the plane window at the darkening sky. She wondered if the others were still okay... and how close they were to ending this nightmare once and for all.  
  
**  
  
Thanks for coming to pick me up, Kitty said softly somewhere between the airport and the Institute.  
  
Not a problem, Scott replied. He'd gotten some strange looks when he'd arrived -- how many guys came to pick up girls in the middle of the night... wearing sunglasses? When you called, I don't think I was the only one who nearly jumped out of his skin. We've all been a little edgy lately. I don't think too many of us were actually sleeping when you called.  
  
I want details.  
  
You'll get them tomorrow. Headlights from a passing car illuminated his face, which looked like he hadn't enjoyed a good night's sleep even before Xavier had re-entered the picture.  
  
I know. Are you looking forward to being the fearless leader again? That, she realized, had been totally the wrong thing to say. Scott grimaced, stared straight ahead, and neither of them said anything more for the rest of the ride.  
  
**  
  
The two of them made their way over the damp grass and entered through the enormous front door that Kitty remembered so well. Ororo was the only one still up; she was waiting in the front room when they arrived.  
  
Welcome back, Kitty, she said warmly, adding as something of an afterthought, It really wasn't necessary...  
  
So everyone keeps telling me, Kitty said drily. She stared around the room. Not much had changed in two years -- some of the pictures had been taken off the walls, and the heavy curtains had been replaced with sheerer ones that she was sure let in a lot more light during the day. I'm sorry to wake all of you up, but --  
  
Scott put in, didn't I say that we haven't been sleeping much? I guess most of us are worried that he's going to try to creep inside our heads when we least expect it. Whether or not he meant this as a joke was debatable, since there was no humor in it. You can be here when we decide what we're going to do next.  
  
Would it be okay if I stopped by to see Lance first?  
  
Ororo smiled. Of course. Save all that for tomorrow, though. There's a spare room ready for you.  
  
It wasn't like Kitty hadn't been expecting this, but it was still slightly jarring. Thanks. I'll try not to disturb anybody. She hefted her backpack and made her way toward the stairs. As she moved down the familiar, silent corridors, she caught sight of half a face and a lock of auburn hair in the shadows of a slightly ajar door. She smiled and kept walking. That door eventually shut.  
  
Sleeping in a room that hadn't been her own would be strange. Being back here would not.  
  
In the way that mattered most, she had never really left.  
  
**  
  
Marie understood that Kitty probably wouldn't want to do any talking tonight. That was okay -- she was tired herself, and it would be better if they could all talk about it sensibly. In daylight. Not that this had been very effective so far, but they had to start somewhere.  
  
She tried to think of the challenges that they were about to face, or the promise of school in the fall (if any of them even made it that far) -- anything but how she had walked in on Alex that morning when he was talking to Lorna long distance. She'd backed discreetly out of the room, listening to him as he laughed at something the green-haired girl had said, calling her impossible. Before they could get into the you-hang-up-no-_you_-hang-up beloved by sitcoms the world over, Marie had made her escape.  
  
_I hate still feeling like this. They're both my friends, damn it. I know I have to be strong and not let this ruined me like it ruined Kitty, not let my jealousy affect what we have to do. But he showed me that it wasn't bad to need someone... and that isn't something you can just turn off. _   
  
She closed her eyes, and the voice that spoke to her became lost in the realm between awake and asleep.  
  
Rest well, my little Rogue. Scott may have left it all behind him, but like the others you have absorbed, I am part of you now. Considering that, I doubt that escape will be so easy for you.  
  
A/N: It's after midnight already. Happy New Year, everybody! You guys have helped make 2001 amazing for me. Here's hoping 2002 will be even better.   
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  



	10. Letting It Slide

A/N: I thought I'd fulfill Lotus Blossom's request for just a little more Brotherhood -- and some people's need for a shirtless, dripping-wet Lance. You know who you are, and I am definitely among you. Sigh. BTW, I wrote this chapter out of a fit of Lancitty inspiration as a result of watching which is my favorite episode even though it ticks me off.  
  
Chapter 10: Letting It Slide  
  
Late the next morning, Kitty borrowed one of the cars and drove across town. She had been glad to see Marie and the others and interested in what they had in mind (not much), and had promised to be back for lunch.  
  
The busted refrigerator was gone, but the sign reading Trespassers Will Be Squashed Creatively remained (and looked like it had recently been repainted). The same rickety jeep was parked in the driveway. The paint on the house itself, however, was peeling and fading. The door looked like it was making its last stand. Almost before Kitty had finished knocking, the door opened, and she almost hit Pietro in the head.  
  
He hadn't changed much -- he was taller and leaner, but it would take a lot more than two years to erase the mocking gleam from his eyes. he exclaimed. You didn't tell me you were coming here. Lance is gonna wet himself.  
  
Good to see you, too, she said, raising her eyebrows. If Lance can make a surprise visit, so can I. I guess he's told you about our situation.  
  
Yours and his? Pietro asked as he moved aside to let her in. He mouthed _I win_ in Todd's direction.  
  
No, mine and the former X-men's.  
  
He didn't tell _us_ nothin', Todd piped up. Heavy footfalls indicated that three out of four Brotherhood members were in the general vicinity.  
  
Where is he?  
  
Fred volunteered. He had to work last night. He paused. Glad you're back. Now maybe he won't walk around with such a sappy look on his face.  
  
I'm not staying. Lance had been the one to deliver the news to her, but she had no idea that he hadn't told his friends.  
  
You want breakfast? Pietro asked awkwardly. We've got some cereal left.  
  
No, thanks. I ate back at the Institute.  
  
So when are you gonna let us in on the secret?  
  
I guess Lance had his own reasons for not telling you.  
  
So, it's not about the two of you? Todd sounded disappointed.  
  
Why would you think it was?  
  
I mean, you guys have been together forever, I was thinking maybe you'd tell us you were getting --  
  
Don't be ridiculous, Kitty said quickly, wondering if they had been talking to Ivy. Even if all plans for the future were now on hold, she still stood by what she'd said a couple of short days ago, two days that now felt like forever. Not wanting to think about that, or about present difficulties for that matter, she asked, Was that what the I win' was about?  
  
Pietro looked sheepish. We started a pool on when you and Lancey-Boy were gonna decide to live together or get married -- pretty flexible. I was putting my money on the summer after you graduated. I thought that was what his sudden visit was about.  
  
You lost bigtime, Todd chortled. You're gonna have to deliver a lot of pizza to make up for that!  
  
The summer's just started, Fred pointed out.  
  
He never has any money, Pietro added in a stage whisper. And he bet that you guys wouldn't last. So if he loses, he has to forgo all Hostess products for a month.  
  
Kitty was still deciding on whether she was flattered, furious, or frightened, when Lance descended the stairs. His hair was dripping, and he was wearing nothing but a pair of sweatpants and, when he saw her, a grin that made her temporarily forget about Xavier. he said.  
  
Kitty grinned back.   
  
I didn't think that I'd be seeing you again so soon, he said.  
  
If my mom had said no, I would have come anyway, she replied, crossing the room quickly and closing the distance between them. His skin was warm and fresh-smelling, partly obscuring his mysteriously ingrained scent of asphalt, smoke, and oranges that she missed at least once every day. She kept her ears open for any from the others, but they remained silent. Are you okay?  
  
So far. I didn't tell them yet.  
  
Tell us what? Todd practically whined.  
  
Does it have anything to do with what we bet? Fred asked before Pietro elbowed him.  
  
Ix-nay on the et-bay! he hissed.  
  
Lance asked suspiciously. Never mind, I don't want to know. He released Kitty after a final squeeze.  
  
So if it's not not about... things that will go un-mentioned, what is it?  
  
Well, it's about Xavier, Lance said.  
  
What does he have to do with us? Fred asked. He's as gone as our fearless leaders.  
  
Not quite, Kitty said, and explained. We're trying to collect information on where he could be, she finished, but we have to be careful. He could easily find out that we're looking for him.  
  
Can't you use that thing? Pietro asked.  
  
What thing? Kitty frowned at him.  
  
That metal head thing that you use to track mutants.  
  
No good -- since it was Xavier's creation, he'd know how to shield himself. So basically, we're just waiting.  
  
I'm glad you decided to come back, Lance said, putting one arm around her again.  
  
Hey, guys, get a room! Todd complained.  
  
I've got one, you idiot.  
  
Don't mind the Toad, Pietro said, rolling his eyes as the two of them disappeared upstairs. You should have heard what _he_ bet.  
  
Okay, I changed my mind, Lance said once the door was closed. I'm probably going to regret this, but what were they babbling about?  
  
You were right the first time. You really don't want to know.  
  
Come on, Kitty. He made his best puppy face.  
  
The three of them... kind of made this bet on where the two of us were going, she explained, blushing. I don't know what Todd had to say, and I don't think that _either_ of us want to know. Fred wagered his Hostess addiction that we were going to break up --  
  
Good. We can use the money that goes toward Ho-Hos.  
  
And Pietro bet that... we were going to get married after I finished high school.  
  
Lance made a strangled noise. That we were going to do _what_?  
  
He said it, I didn't.  
  
What if we did?   
  
What if we did what? It was her turn to make a similar strangled noise. You're joking, right?  
  
He blanked for a second, then recovered. Yeah. Totally.  
  
Good. Not that I don't love you more than anything -- you know that -- but I think we both know that it would be crazy. You know what's funny? My friend from back home thought that we were heading that way. I've told her a lot about us.  
  
What kind of a lot'? he asked warily.  
  
Everything except what originally brought us together and drove us apart. Why? You don't believe that whole ordinary people shouldn't know' thing, do you?  
  
His voice was softer now. I just know from experience that scared humans can be just as dangerous as evil mutants. And I _should_ know -- I've been both. He changed the subject. You know, speaking of evil mutants, I was thinking the other night that maybe pulling you back here was a mistake.  
  
And why is that? She'd heard the same thing from at least two other sources already, and his reasons were the only ones she was remotely interested in.  
  
Cause you were the one who told the other X-Geeks --  
  
Former X-Geeks, she corrected automatically.  
  
-- and you're probably pretty high on his hit list.  
  
She was brought back down to earth. Don't worry about me, she assured him.  
  
I'd have to be an idiot not to.  
  
I rest my case. I'll be fine. You said so yourself -- I'm a tough cookie.  
  
But Xavier's a tougher one.  
  
Lance Dominic Alvers, are you _scared_ of him? she asked, hardly daring to believe it. If Mystique could see you now...  
  
...Moist, disheveled, and with one of the enemy in my room... he joined in, giving a deep laugh that sent delicious shivers down her back.  
  
... And saying that Xavier's tougher than we are... She laughed too. Seriously, are you?  
  
Not really. At least, not for myself. He kissed her soundly. Be careful, okay?  
  
She kissed him back. I'll be back later... or probably tomorrow, actually. And I'll call you when there's a plan.  
  
He watched her leave, so glad to have her back that he could barely stand it. Oh, he knew that she wasn't the main reason he had returned, and that she wouldn't be staying, and that she thought he actually had been joking when he'd brought up the possibility of getting married in the not-too-distant future. And she was probably right -- it was too soon. She had college to think about... and there was no way that he was going to make the mistake again of making her decide between him and her future.  
  
Besides, she had bigger fish to fry at the moment.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  



	11. Gathering Clouds

Chapter 11: Gathering Clouds  
  
"Where is everyone?" Kitty asked as she flipped her grilled cheese sandwich in the frying pan.  
  
"Scott has been promising the students a trip to the beach," Ororo replied. "Marie and Alex went with them."  
  
"And I'm sure he isn't going to let a little thing like evil telepaths on the prowl stop him," Kitty said sarcastically.  
  
"It's just one evil telepath," the older woman corrected. "And we have the authorities on the lookout for Xavier. Each of us is to call the other if anything unusual comes up. And remember, all of them have become skilled at blocking their minds."  
  
"The kids don't seem that worried." Kitty wondered why she was referring to them thus. The oldest, Corinna, was about her own age. "I guess they didn't really know him."  
  
"Corinna did. Not very well, we believe. She and her a friend of hers arrived at the Institute together, but he decided that life here wasn't for him and ran away."  
  
"Did she try to leave, too?"  
  
"Xavier refused to try and locate him. He believed in shaking out the more ambivalent recruits in order to actually control as few people as possible."  
  
"He didn't tell you all this, did he?"  
  
"Not in so many words," Ororo replied. " 'Suitable action' was one of his favorite phrases. Logan and I had a rather good idea of what he meant, but we never called him on it."  
  
"Whatever happened to Logan?"  
  
"A couple of months ago, he made one of his famous disappearances. Last we heard, he was across the border, doing what I think Evan once termed 'the lone wolf schtick.' Hank and Kurt are both overseas -- Hank doing research in London, Kurt visiting his adopted family."  
  
Kitty removed her sandwich from the pan and set it on a plate. "Can I fix you one"  
  
"No, thank you. What are your plans, Kitty?"  
  
She had already had more than she could bear of people asking her that. "I was set on going to college this fall," she answered anyway. "I have this stupid dream of being a writer, but I don't know if that's going to happen." She had brought her laptop, with her memoirs-in-progress safely on file. At that moment, even writing the damn thing seemed like the stupidest idea ever. "Especially now."  
  
"And you and Lance?"  
  
"Why does everyone want to know that?" Kitty asked irritably. "I was thinking that you'd have bigger things on your mind." Yet she knew that Ororo was trying desperately to focus on something ordinary, to keep at bay the fact that she was probably just as terrified as everyone else."  
  
"I was just curious."  
  
"I know. I'm sorry. I just can't pretend that I'm only here on a visit, you know?" She took a bite of her grilled cheese, burning her mouth.  
  
"I understand."  
  
"But since I don't think he's trying to get inside my head right now, I wouldn't mind knowing where everyone else ended up."  
  
**  
  
_What am I even doing here?_ Marie wondered. _I should be back at the mansion, waiting for impending doom._ They were too vulnerable out here. Disaster could strike at any time.  
  
"Hey, Marie. Remember that surf lesson I promised you?"  
  
_In more ways than one,_ she reflected. "I'd be a disaster," she protested.  
  
"You'd be a hot disaster," said Alex. "I've seen the way you move. It's like you're dancing. And I know how good you are at that."  
  
"You must have me confused with someone else."  
  
"Nope. Don't think so. That wet suit you're wearing has to serve some kind of purpose."  
  
"It's so I'm not exposing too much skin," she hissed at him. "You know that. I'd wipe out before Xavier even had a chance to get at me."  
  
"Can you stop worrying about him for just a little while?"  
  
She stared at him. "He's not controlling _your_ mind, is he?"  
  
He laughed.  
  
"I'm serious." She didn't think she could stand it if Alex, the one person so far who hadn't directly been affected by Xavier's manipulation, caved.  
  
"Sorry. Marie, listen to me. When the X-Men were still... functioning, you always had to deal with the threat of villains. And you still managed to have a good time once in a while... or most of you did. How are things different now?"  
  
"Don't get me started on that one," Marie said. "I just can't help worrying. If anything happens, it'll be..."  
  
"Don't say it," Alex warned. Energy crackled around one raised hand.  
  
"Stop that! People'll catch on." A lifeguard was already looking at them strangely.  
"Hey!" she shouted in their direction.  
  
Marie swore.  
  
But all the lifeguard said was, "That kid out there" -- she gestured at the water -- "the one in the neon-green trunks. He a friend of yours?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"He's been under for a pretty long time."  
  
She cursed again, under her breath. Jason's image inducer was waterproof, but his gills were still fully functioning, and he had no doubt forgotten what the length of time that it was normal for an ordinary teenager to spend underwater. "He's been able to do that for a long time," she said in what she hoped was a nonchalant voice. "He loves to show off." And she made her way down to the water.  
  
"Smooth," Alex commented as he caught up with her.  
  
"I'm going to have to have a Serious Talk with that kid."  
  
"Leave that to Scott. I'm sure he'll be happy to chew Fishface out. Are you having fun yet?"  
  
"I'm getting there."  
  
**  
The people, umbrellas, and radios playing obnoxious music were becoming more and more sparse. The waves were getting choppier as they crashed around moss-covered rocks. The dunes were diving way to jagged cliffs whose faces resembled giant prehistoric animals.  
  
Corinna was glad to have left all of them behind. Marie and Alex were okay, but they were usually too involved with each other to pay much attention to anyone else. Ditto Jean and Scott, when they were together. And Myriah and Jason, for that matter.  
  
But it wasn't the fact that everyone around her was pairing off that bothered her. Nor was it the fact that her own soulmate had disappeared back into the world (and with people reacting to mutants the way they had been, she'd probably never see him again).  
  
It was the simple question: _What am I still doing at that place?_  
  
She had one year left of high school, after which she was getting out of there. She had no idea what would happen to her, but knew what did happen to people who stayed in places like that forever. Just look at Scott as an example... even though she supposed that it hadn't been his fault, if Xavier had been controlling his mind like everyone said.  
  
Not that she doubted it for a second.  
  
She tugged her sweatshirt more firmly around her shoulders and fiddled with her gold necklace as she kept walking, carefully avoiding a carpet of sharp rocks. She'd cut her foot badly while exploring a similar pile on the Maine coast when she was seven, and had no desire to repeat the experience at seventeen.  
  
Myriah and the others were damn good friends -- there was no question about that -- but sometimes their innocence and idealism got to her. Corinna was probably not the only one who had been reluctant to go on this little outing (Marie hadn't looked too happy about it either), but she had been a lot less enthusiastic than her classmates.  
  
_Well, naturally. They didn't know him. They only know what Ororo has told them, and she left out more than half of it._ Storm had been the most sympathetic when Lester had vanished... sympathetic, that is, until a sharp glance from Xavier had caused her to trail off and inform Corinna that it was probably all for the best.  
  
_Some people are ready to accept the hand that life has dealt them,_ the professor had said in that velvety voice that had simultaneously made her want to kick him and cower under her chair. Some are not. _Lester couldn't deal with the responsibilities that came from being one of us._  
  
_Liar,_ she'd thought, not caring if he heard.  
  
If he had known about her suspicons, he never let on that he knew. She thanked the gods and their mothers-in-law for that.  
  
During her first and last battle with the Brotherhood, everything had fallen into place. Kitty's words shown light on the suspicions that Corinna had always kept hidden in darkness lest someone call her on them. She'd never thought much of Kitty, always believed her to be the last person to lead revolutions or be involved in forbidden romances.  
  
But then, things were rarely what they seemed.  
  
If Corinna was sure of anything, she was sure of that.  
  
**   
  
While Alex was demonstrating for Marie on his board, and Scott was dozing in the sun, and Jason was dunking Myriah for the fifth time and both Corinna and her thoughts were wandering, a nondescript gray car eased into the beach parking lot and stopped there. The driver's window rolled down an inch, but that was enough.  
  
Any bystander would doubtlessly flee in terror from the looks bestowed by the driver himself. They would be gone before they could notice what the small crowd of mutants certainly did not notice: the unusual color of the man's hair, the gleam of metal near his hand, and the way he raised his face to the opening in the window, waiting for his sharp nose to detect a familiar scent.  
  
  



	12. As Darkness Falls

Chapter 12: As Darkness Falls  
  
They should have been back by now, Jean muttered, checking her watch for the twelfth time since the clock had struck six, half an hour ago.  
  
They're probably on their way, Ororo assured her.  
  
But what if they're not? Jean shook her head. I should never have let them go off on their own.  
  
You've been way too protective of Scott lately. He's grown up -- he can take care of himself. You shouldn't act like he's at risk every time he leaves the mansion.  
  
I know, but if something happens to them, it'll be my fault.  
  
Ororo gave a perplexed frown. Now, why would you say that? she asked. You sound like Marie.  
  
I guess I do. Where's Kitty?  
  
Up in her room, writing something, I think.  
  
Jean guessed.   
  
Maybe. I never knew her to do much writing while she was here.  
  
**  
  
_It's so weird to be back. It's just not the same without Logan, Kurt, and Evan. And without the ones we termed the New Mutants, most of whom went their separate ways after graduation. And without Xavier, of course.  
  
Where is he now? How did he escape? Did he have someone helping him? We think that must be the case. None of us know for sure, not even Jean. Even though Ororo's officially in charge, it's Jean who's been taking care of the others and trying to decide what we're going to do next. It's not like the X-men to do nothing.  
  
Except we're not the X-men anymore. We're... well, I don't know what we are. Besides scared. Jean is scared for Scott, I guess. She's keeping a close eye on him lately... it's kind of pathetic, almost as if he can't take care of himself just because he was the one who was most affected. And we're all scared that he's going to just show up one day... or not. How do you stop someone who can get inside your head?  
  
Up until now, he's seemed almost like part of _my_ dreams, instead of the other way around like it used to be. I know it's weird for someone to vanish like that after only two years, but it wasn't like there was any reason to think about him. We all thought that it was over, which is probably why it was so easy for him to get at Scott this time. Our guards were down. They're not anymore, even though I still think that it was stupid of the others to leave, even for a little while, while so much was going on.  
  
I don't remember, even now, what made me decide to go with him and Jean. Partly it was desperation -- any road would be better than the one Lance had offered. Part of it was gullibility; everyone always said that I trusted too easily. And most of it was the need to believe that someone did care about me and want to help me. That need had been so painfully betrayed just moments before.  
  
Lance and I still talk about the day we met. The awkwardness is gone, and now we speak of it with a kind of relief, like aren't we glad we've put all that nonsense behind us. He tells me that I should stop worrying about what other people (i.e., my parents) think about the two of us. Forget them, you're with me. Just like before, except now it makes sense. Because now I know that he's saying that because he doesn't want anything to come between us like it has in the past.  
  
I can tell that he wants us to be together forever... if we both survive this, that is. I think that it's mutual. Some people might say that it's too soon for me to know who I want to spend the rest of my life with, but that's a fat lie. If I have a future, do I want it to be with Lance? God, yes. Do I want everything decided for me? Maybe I once did. No more.  
  
_Kitty, get down here, now!  
  
Jean's mental voice sounded panicked, almost hysterical. Something was wrong. Kitty closed her laptop and made for the stairs. He wasn't here. He couldn't be. Could he?  
  
Jean and Ororo were standing together in the foyer; not ten feet away was a tall figure wearing a skin-tight wetsuit. His golden hair was in disarray, he was cradling one arm, and his eyes were wide but unseeing.  
  
Kitty gasped. Are you okay?  
  
Where are the others? Jean demanded. What happened to them?  
  
I don't know_,_ Alex said.  
  
Why not?  
  
Because I can't remember.  
  
**  
  
After he had dressed and the strange cuts on his arm had been neatly bandaged, Alex told the three of them as much as he knew.  
  
I woke up in the dunes near the parking lot, he continued, his voice shaking. My arm was cut like someone had slashed at it with a knife, but not very deep. The last thing I remembered was coming out of the water.  
  
Did you hit your head, or... Ororo didn't finish the sentence. She didn't need to.  
  
Jean's face had turned dead white, and her hands had curled into fists. What happened then?  
  
I looked around, but I couldn't find the others. I asked some people nearby, but none of them said they had seen anything unusual.  
  
Why am I not surprised? Kitty muttered.  
  
You-know-who must have erased their memories, Alex said, sounding a little steadier. Like he did you-know-when. Somehow he's gotten hold of Corinna and Myriah and Jason, though. Now his voice had descending into eerily calm, but he looked like he was choking out the last four words. And Scott and Marie.  
  
Jean smothered a cry with her hand.  
  
Kitty couldn't make any noise. She couldn't move. She was reminded of the night that Marie had ended up unconscious from struggling against Xavier. Her own first thought had been, No, not Rogue, she's the strong one. We can't lose her. She had cut school the next day, for the first time in her life, and she and Lance had driven to McLean Pond. Even though he'd been right there beside her, she had never felt more alone.  
  
And even with three people in the room who cared about her, and another one not too far away, she felt that again now. 


	13. Speak of the Devil

A/N: No, I am not done torturing Scooter. Deal with it.  
  
Chapter 13: Speak Of The Devil  
  
He had no idea how he had come to be in this place. It was a rather large room, comfortably furnished, with large windows through which he could see the dark, spangled sky. How much time had passed while he had been out of it? And out of it was the only way he had described his circumstances. He had been stretched out on the beach blanket, watching as Alex tried to get Marie excited about hanging ten, or whatever the heck he was doing on that board of his.  
  
The next thing he knew, he was here.  
  
Marie's voice, from over to his left. The five of them were strapped to ornate chairs. The others looked basically okay, though Myriah's tears were already spilling out from behind her glasses. Are you okay?  
  
What a stupid question. Okay, first things first. Where were they? How had they gotten here without knowing it? And was the person whom he thought was responsible really responsible? _Speaking of stupid questions,_ he thought grimly. I think so, he said. What happened? How'd we get here?  
  
You brought us here, Jason said, as if it were obvious. You said it was time to go home, but you didn't take us back to the Institute. You brought us to this creepy place. It's at least as big as home, but it looks like nobody's lived here for a long time. Then... I don't know. I just blanked or something.  
  
There was a murmur of, Me, too.  
  
Do you think... Marie began, with real fear in her voice, but she got no further. The door slid open, and she trailed off when she saw who had entered. Her expression of terror was replaced by one of fury. It actually gave Scott hope; she sounded a lot more like her old self.  
  
Surprisingly, he does think, said the newcomer. I'm sure you didn't realize he was capable.  
  
Marie hissed.  
  
Charles Xavier acknowledged. It feels like a long time, doesn't it, my little Rogue?  
  
How dare you call me that? I'm not yours. I never have been. She struggled against our restraints. What do you want from us?  
  
Your assistance in continuing the dream, what else? Your actions of two years ago have only ensured that humans and mutants will never peacefully coexist.  
  
Are you still on that?  
  
Even when I was imprisoned, I have never lost hope, Xavier told her.  
  
How admirable of you, Corinna spoke up.  
  
He turned on her. I was surprised when my colleague informed me that you were at the beach with the others. I was sure that by now, you'd be out searching for your friend Lester. Or that perhaps he had returned.  
  
He wouldn't if his life depended on it. Where the hell are we?  
  
At a branch of the Institute that I'm not sure too many of you knew about. It is maintained by another associate of mine, Emma Frost. She has similar gifts to my own, and thus was also the one who helped to engineer my escape.  
  
So she wiped the guards' minds, Marie said.  
  
She owed me a favor. However, Logan was the one to destroy the computers that alerted the administration whenever I employed my gift.  
  
_Logan_ is helping you? Marie said incredulously. He'd never.  
  
His loyalty to me remains surprisingly strong. He let the impact of those words weigh in the air for a moment.  
  
_If he's strong enough to control Wolverine..._ Scott didn't even want to think about what that might mean... for more reasons than one.  
  
Why do you have us tied up like this? Myriah demanded, still sniffling. Can't you just... Now it was her turn to leave a sentence unfinished.  
  
Xavier smiled coldly. Would you rather I did it that way? He paused, as if considering something. Of course, it would be a good idea if you had no compulsion to set my headquarters on fire. As he advanced closer, and Myriah pushed herself as far back in the chair as she could, Scott looked away. Although he heard the young flamethrower's sobs trail off, he had no desire to see the blankness that he knew was stealing over her face. He had seen that expression in the mirror all too often.  
  
Let us go, Scott ordered. You aren't going to gain anything by keeping us here, especially since Alex got away. He'll figure out that you're behind this.  
  
On the contrary, Cyclops, I will gain something: four new team members.  
  
Scott's heart plummeted. What makes you think that any of us will help you? He knew the answer to this question, but something inside him demanded that he ask it.  
  
I should think that you, of all people, would know.  
  
_Why are you even doing this? Why are you playing the hero? You're here, Marie's here, the kids that were placed under your care are here, and when Jean and Alex and Kitty find out where you are, they'll be next. If Myriah had tried to burn through the ropes, she probably would set the whole place on fire -- you know how out of practice she is. Granted, Xavier would go up in flames, too, but..._  
  
Not nice thoughts. Not at all. I think we have to do something about that. Xavier wheeled himself closer to Scott's chair.  
  
Leave him alone! Marie cried out. She wasn't crying -- not yet -- but her voice carried a note of desperation that they hadn't heard in a long time. Make that never. Let us go, you... She rattled off a string of words that Scott didn't even dare _think_.   
  
Be patient, Rogue. You'll get your turn. Xavier reached out and pressed his fingertips to each side of Scott's head. But as you can see, Scott has made the wrong decision, and he needs to be corrected.  
  
**  
  
Kitty remembered all too well the first time she had almost lost Marie. The next day at school, she and Lance had slipped out the front door of the school without even stopping at their lockers, and she was worrying, absurdly, about what would happen if she got caught ditching school. They had been sitting in his jeep, in the chill winter-turning-to-spring air. He had held her tightly, rocking her back and forth as her tears soaked the front of his shirt. At that moment, the cold hadn't mattered. She had felt safer and warmer in his arms than she did anywhere else, including -- maybe especially -- in the mansion with the other X-Men.   
  
Now they were sitting on the couch that had springs poking out and couldn't decide whether it was green, brown, or gray. A few tears had slipped out of Kitty's eyes, but she hadn't completely broken down yet. Lance had to give her credit.  
  
Has Jean tried to find them yet? he asked, holding tightly to her hands.  
  
Kitty nodded. Yeah. No cigar, though. She figures that Xavier must be shielding them somehow.  
  
Devious bastard, Todd commented, shifting from one foot to another.  
  
You can say that again, frog-boy, she came right back.  
  
Devious bast --  
  
  
  
You know, Kitty, he went on, when we were fighting you guys, we didn't have any big fancy supercomputers, so if we wanted to find somebody, you know what we did?  
  
  
  
We _looked_, yo. It's pretty much all you can do.  
  
By the time we found them, the damage would already have been done. Kitty shook her head. Jean is practically in hysterics, Ororo has never had to lead in a battle situation -- if that's what has to be done -- and Alex is still too angry to think straight. If we lose Marie... she was the person to save us all, Lance. I made the other X-men aware of what was going on, and Scott made the rest of the world aware. But neither of us would have had a chance if Marie hadn't woken up in time. We can't lose her, she repeated, as if saying it would make it absolutely and inarguably true.  
  
We're gonna help you, Lance said firmly. Right, guys?  
  
Three voices rose in a single,   
  
And the door chose this moment to fly off its hinges, bringing with it both the light rain that had started to fall as Kitty had made her way across town... and the sight of a very familiar man in a dark coat.  
  
What are you doing here? Lance gasped, and then remembered to add,   
  
Steel-gray eyes met his for a moment before landing on Kitty. I could ask the same question of _her_.  



	14. The Prodigal Fearless Leader

A/N: To the... rescue? Um, no. But he is going to help. And this is the first time any of my X-Men fics have been graced with the presence of its most famous villain, so don't say I didn't warn you.  
  
Chapter 14: The Prodigal Fearless Leader  
  
Seems like all the weirdest things happen out at this place, Officer Halloran mused as she lowered the hood of her rain slicker. Remember last year?  
  
Her partner nodded vigorously, glancing now and then at the door to make sure it was still unlocked. He was clearly uncomfortable about being in a house full of mutants.  
  
You're lucky, Ororo spoke up.  
  
The guy who was running this place... you think he's the one who kidnapped your friends?  
  
We know so.  
  
Where are the other residents of this house?  
  
Jean is resting, Ororo replied. Kitty is staying with a friend tonight.  
  
You should call her to make sure she's really there. I hate to sound paranoid, but she sounds like she could be a potential target.  
  
Already did that, Alex piped up. Trust me, these guys won't let her go without a fight.  
  
Officer Halloran made a note on her pad. When Ms. Pryde gets back, I want you to tell her not to leave the premises anymore. It's too dangerous. And I need descriptions of the missing people.  
  
Before we get to that, Ororo interrupted, why are you even helping us? I mean, mutants aren't exactly high on the public's sympathy list these days.  
  
The policewoman smiled. Let's just say that you guys don't look to be using your, um, powers as a threat to other people. From what you've told me, Xavier is.   
  
**  
  
The surprise on Magneto's face -- for it was he, of course -- was well disguised and only lasted a second. I'm waiting.  
  
Lance reached for Kitty's hand, then thought better of it. Remember when Mystique told me to go spy on the X-Geeks a couple years back? Well, something happened between Kitty and me. Even though she left the Institute after she graduated, we're still together.  
  
I see.  
  
Once the shock, then the automatic need to be subservient (even though the boss had showed up completely out of the blue and in ordinary clothes instead of his ludicrous red armor) had passed, Lance felt a fresh surge of anger. So what _are_ you doing here? he demanded.  
  
Pietro hissed. Sir, I can explain... he's high-strung...   
  
Lance turned on him. No, I won't quir it! Avalanche doesn't exist anymore! The Brotherhood of Evil Mutants' doesn't exist anymore! We've spent the last three years fighting just to survive, and we have -- not just as mutants. As a family. And now he comes back and suddenly you're pretending that everything's the same as it always was! Maybe I'm the only one who's noticed, but things have changed! Six pairs of eyes stared at him. I'm done, he said in a small voice, and plopped down on the couch next to Kitty.  
  
I know that you are all surprised by my presence here, Magneto replied. I am aware that things have changed. Neither Charles' arrest two years ago, nor the disintegration of both teams, have escaped my notice. The current circumstances, however, have forced me to return.  
  
You mean now that Xavier's escaped? Fred asked.  
  
Now that the Friends of Humanity are mobilizing, and, yes, now that one of mutantkind's greatest threats lies with one of their own. And for once, it is someone besides myself.  
  
Kitty giggled before Lance's elbow could reach her ribs. Now that the edge had worn off his anger, he was actually listening.  
  
Charles has taken several mutants hostage, and plans to use them to re-start an improved' version of the X-Men.  
  
We know that, Todd said impatiently.  
  
  
  
Because I told them, Kitty said, her voice so strong that Lance, for one, was in awe of her. One of those hostages is my best friend.  
  
Then this battle is personal for you, too, Katherine, Magneto surmised.  
  
Damn straight. Pietro grimaced, but Kitty ignored him and continued. Do you know where they are?  
  
Kitty's face fell. But I've returned for the express purpose of telling you that you will not be fighting unguided in what even I hope will be our final battle against Charles Xavier's forces.  
  
said Pietro.  
  
Yes. I will return tomorrow to assist you in planning your strategy. And without another word, he exited the way he had come, leaving the rest of them in dead silence.  
  
_My, my, Toto,_ Kitty thought. _People seem to come and go in the strangest ways around here. _This was enough to almost make her start giggling again before she remembered just how extreme these circumstances are.  
  
It was Fred who finally spoke. Um, anyone want to help pay for a new door?  
  
Stow it, was Lance's reaction. Let's try to decide this like civilized people. Do we accept boss man's help, or do we go the rest of the way on our own?  
  
said Pietro immediately.  
  
It sounds like he's got some sort of purpose of his own, Todd remarked.  
  
Well, yeah, said Lance. He always does. What do you say?  
  
I thought you didn't want things to be back the way they were, Kitty reminded him.  
  
Things aren't going to be back the way they were. I already know that. Especially if we win. Which I still think we can do with or without him.  
  
As an honorary member of the Brotherhood of -- you never told me you actually called yourself evil, she interrupted herself. That's even worse than the head bowl you used to wear. Anyway, do I get a vote?  
  
  
  
Pietro squawked.  
  
It was Lance's turn to ignore the speed demon. What do you think, cat girl?  
  
Well, here's something I never thought I'd hear myself say. I think you should let him help you. You're right -- he probably does have his own motives, but so do I. I want Marie back. Jean wants Scott back. Alex is close to both of them. But all of us have something in common -- we're against Xavier. And if anyone knows what that's all about, it's your prodigal fearless leader back there. She jerked her thumb at the doorway, which was still letting rain in.  
  
Silence reigned once more. Well, I'm convinced, Lance said.  
  
Why am I not surprised? Pietro asked nobody in particular.  
  
Yeah, sure, I'm with you, came from Fred. Let's go stomp some... um... He scratched his head. I can't think of any words that are bad enough for him.  
  
While Freddy's pondering that, I'll put my two cents in, yo, said Todd. I ain't crazy about letting him back into our lives just like that. But it looks like I'm outvoted. So I say sure, why not? But if he ditches us again, don't go saying I didn't warn you.  
  
Lance turned to Kitty. Now that that's... settled, what are you going to do?  
  
Join in the fight, just like we planned, she said. I think you should wait till tomorrow to spring the joint-forces thing on him, though.  
  
Lance twisted the tails of his T-shirt between two fingers. No, I mean right now. I mean, are you still planning on spending the night? If you want to, I mean.  
  
Kitty wished she had paid more attention in math, because she thought she could have created a new Grand Unified Theory of Nervous Mutants: the ratio of how many times Lance said I mean in one statement to how much more attractive he was looking with each passing second. Not a few of the teen magazines (which Ivy had insisted that they start high school by reading) advised girls on what to do when this moment arrived. Most of them seemed to believe that a lot less than two years should pass before it finally did.   
  
She had already made up her mind not to say yes just as a way of solving or escaping her problems -- no matter how much she loved Lance, she had a feeling that it was going to take a lot more than this to make her current problems go away. She needed to believe that he was going to be there in spite of them.  
  
But she already knew that... didn't she?  
  
Of course she did. I think I have to get home, she said. It's been a long... Now the sobs were finally building up in her throat. She tried again. It's been a long day.   
  
Lance looked disappointed, but stepped forward and hugged her anyway. he whispered. Kitty, you know that everything is going to be fine, right?  
  
She stared up at him. No, I don't. But I know things really have changed, because I know you believe it. And I want so badly to believe it too. Now her eyes were overflowing. Damn it.  
  
He smoothed her hair. I know that, baby. I really do.  
  
Kitty disappeared out the open doorway and started the car, but was forced to pull over less than two minutes later because her vision was blurring again and she could barely see to drive. She sat there alone, surrounded by the pouring rain, with her arms folded on the dashboard and her head resting on her arms, and cried harder than she ever had in her life. 


	15. Downhill From Here

Chapter 15: Downhill From Here  
  
Xavier approached the terrace the next morning only to find Rogue staring out over the railing, watching the sunrise. She was still wearing the clothes he had provided for her to sleep in. He didn't have to read her mind to guess that she was thinking of Alex Summers. Perfect.  
  
Of the five that he had taken so far, she had been the only one whom it had been impossible to control completely. Corinna and even Scott had acquiesed when it had become obvious that escape was not an option. He had managed to erase some of her strongest emotions -- fear, rage, hatred, the desire to escape. She now believed that there was a place for her here, and that it was right that she be trained for the coming battle. However, he had been unable to totally turn her against Jean, Alex, and the others.  
  
No matter. Even with his first team, he had been equally adroit at manipulating people with or without the use of his gift. He opened the sliding door and approached her soundlessly. Good morning, he said.  
  
She jumped and whirled around, already removing one of her gloves. He held up a hand to forestall her. No matter what you might think, you have nothing to fear from me.  
  
I know, she said, replacing the glove. I still don't see why you had to have Scott bring us here, though.  
  
It was necessary, Xavier defended himself. I am not welcome at the Institute. He made sure to inject just the right amount of irony and bitterness into his voice. Jean and Ororo are still filled with uncertainty about the dream... uncertainty that you yourself kindled.  
  
I was so sure I was right about you, Rogue sighed, speaking in the soft drawl that was still her trademark. It was good for them to have trademarks... ways of identifying each other that went beyond codenames and powers. It's hard to believe that you would go through all of that -- controlling our minds and everything -- just to help us. Now her bitterness matched his own. And it's harder to believe that I have to see them as the enemy. Especially... She trailed off.  
  
Especially Alex? Xavier said as gently as he could. You miss him, don't you?  
  
She didn't answer, but he could hear her silent response. _If I get out of this, I will tell him how I still feel, if he doesn't know already. Except... do I want him back now? How could someone who seemed so right for me be so wrong about something like this?_  
  
You are on opposite sides now, he continued. It doesn't have to stay that way. I have been keeping a closer watch on all of you than you think, and I can assure you that he still cares about you, no matter where his affections seem to lie.  
  
Why should I believe you? I guess I'll have to except it sooner or later: it might as well be sooner. He's with Lorna, he's still against you -- and me, now, too.  
  
But if you were to bring him back here... if you were allies again... I know he would realize how much you still want him.  
  
I still want him, she repeated, and it wasn't the drugged response of a hypnosis victim, but merely a confirmation... or a realization of something that she had been trying to deny herself. I wouldn't want to force him...  
  
You wouldn't have to. Xavier smiled. I'm sure of it.


	16. Don't Kill the Messenger

Chapter 16: Don't Kill the Messenger  
  
You guys, I have an announcement to make, Kitty spoke up over a melancholy breakfast that morning.  
  
Alex, who had been listlessly buttering his toast, barely looked up.  
  
I'm listening, Ororo said, although she didn't sound like she was listening very hard.  
  
Okay, this is kinda difficult.  
  
Is it about you and Lance? Alex wanted to know.  
  
Why does everyone _ask_ that? It's about me, and Lance, and the rest of the Brotherhood, who are going to help us. She said all of this in one breath, then braced herself for the reaction.  
  
I'm not surprised, was all Ororo said. If you and Lance are close, it means he's going to want to stand by you. And it's only natural that Pietro, Todd, and Fred are going to follow his lead.  
  
Well, that's the thing. Kitty looked at her feet. They're not exactly following Lance's lead anymore. And she related the events of the night before.  
  
Alex spit out a mouthful of coffee. Jean looked shocked. Kitty, how could you? she whispered.  
  
We need all the help we can get, don't we?  
  
I don't argue that, but... seeking help from Magneto?  
  
I _didn't_ seek help from him! He came to them! Pay attention! None of them looked convinced. Look, I'm not saying that he isn't shady, or that he doesn't have his own reasons for going after Xavier. And maybe it's a bad idea. But the enemy of my enemy is my friend and all that, right?  
  
I don't like it, Jean said positively, shaking her head. How do we know we can trust him?  
  
How do we know we can't? Kitty challenged.  
  
Because the professor always said... Jean trailed off as everyone looked at her. Okay, point taken, but he did kidnap Ororo and Rogue and me, and he built that machine that warped Scott's mind...  
  
...like Xavier had been doing for years... Alex put in bitterly.  
  
Point taken twice, Jean sighed. But trusting someone who once tried to kill all of us... it just doesn't come easily to me.  
  
I understand, Kitty told her. She understood only all too well.  
  
**  
  
Guys, I've got groceries! Lance called. Get off your asses and come help me put them away! No answer. Did you hear me? I've got food! Usually, when he said that last word, the other three came running... or stomping, in Freddy's case. Blob? I got paid the other day -- that means _two_ boxes of Snow Balls! Still no answer. _Something is rotten in the state of New York._  
  
He vaguely remembered the last time they'd done this -- hidden in their respective rooms until he'd stomped up the stairs, then all jumped out of their doors at once. This time he didn't stomp -- he tiptoed. No point in almost having a heart attack and falling down the stairs like he did last time.  
  
  
  
Lance stopped mid-tiptoe and turned around. His housemates were grouped at the foot of the stairs. In their battle uniforms. What have you guys been up to? he asked suspiciously.  
  
Training, yo, came from Todd. What've _you_ been doing?  
  
Oh, right. Oh, _man_.   
  
Pietro repeated flatly. We got bawled out by Magneto just 'cause we couldn't find you, and you were _shopping_.  
  
We, um, needed food.  
  
Freddy immediately perked up. You got your paycheck on Thursday, right?  
  
They're in the bag on the table, Lance said weakly. Guys, I said, I'm going out to get food, don't wait up.' Didn't you hear me?  
  
You said, I'm going out, don't wait up.' So we didn't. Did you not hear what _he_ said last night? Or did you forget later because you were too busy wondering why Kitty-Cat wouldn't sleep with you? Pietro looked very pleased with himself to have figured this out.  
  
What did you say? Lance asked, temporarily forgetting Magneto, training, and groceries. He clenched one fist. Think very, very carefully about how you answer that.  
  
She's still messing up your decisions, said Todd. Even the boss noticed it, and he hasn't even been back a day. That's why said to us -- he waved a hand at Pietro and toward the kitchen -- to say to you -- he pointed at Lance -- that you and her should keep a safe distance from each other until this whole thing blows over.  
  
Fine. Okay. Lance opened his hand, then clenched it again. __  
  
Their youngest member shrugged. He said it, I didn't. Personally, I think you're a lot angstier when you ain't with her than when you are. But maybe it's better that you keep your head in the game.  
  
Lance made a disgusted noise and walked the rest of the way up the stairs. This time he _was_ stomping. He didn't believe for a minute that Magneto had said anything of the kind. Bad enough that when he and Kitty had first gotten together, they'd had Xavier on their backs. This was the last thing he needed. The others understood that things were different now, or so they said. Yeah, right.  
  
A/N: I think my muse has gone on strike. The subject of Mag-not-so-neato is a touchy one with him, for some reason. And don't worry -- Xavier is still the biggest jerkwad of them all. He'll be back next chapter.  
  
  
  



	17. On Our Own

A/N: READ THIS! I hate to do this to you guys, but I went back and changed a few things in the story. So if you haven't read through it again and want to see what those things are, please do. Basically, Rogue and Alex aren't together anymore in this revised version. That's the only difference. I'm really sorry.  
  
Chapter 17: On Our Own  
  
What do you mean, you're stopping the investigation? Ororo said indignantly.  
  
Just that, said Detective Kincaid. I'm very sorry.  
  
Xavier is still out there, and he has our friends! She was as angry as Jean, Alex, or Kitty had ever seen her. And you're just going to do nothing?  
  
'Ro, are you thinking what I'm thinking? Alex asked in an undertone.  
  
Kincaid held up a hand to forestall them. If you're wondering if someone's messed with my mind, stop wondering, he said.   
  
What do you mean by that? Jean wanted to know. Her face had flushed in anger until it was as red as her hair. Your job is to track down dangerous people, and I think Xavier qualifies.  
  
We're still aware of the danger that Xavier poses. All too well, in fact.  
  
In the three days since the kinapping was reported, three of the cops we sent out came back with memories missing. Kincaid counted on his fingers. One didn't come back at all. That was Officer Halloran, who questioned all of you. We're still looking for her. Throw in a commissioner who's one of the FOH's tippy-top people, and you'll understand why there's just no way we can continue. We're only human, after all -- and that's the whole problem.  
  
**  
  
Alex was locked in his room, but the argumentative voices came up through the ceiling: Kitty's, shrill and frustrated, and Ororo's, husky and authoritative. He wanted no part of it. No amount of arguing was going to get Scott back.  
  
Lorna had no idea of what had happened, and he almost wasn't going to read the letter that had appeared on the table. But he hated to just leave it; just because his world was going to hell on a downhill slope wasn't any reason to take his rage out on his girlfriend.  
  
_Dear Alex,  
  
How is absolutely everything at the Institute? Are Scott and Jean still driving you crazy? And what about Marie -- is she still avoiding you even though I'm not there?  
  
It's obvious that she still likes you, in case you haven't realized it. I can understand why you wanted to end things with her, though. I mean, you'll never be able to take it to the next level, and she may be my friend and all, but honestly, why can't she let go of all those so-called traumatic experiences of hers and get on with her life? Have you suggested that she get help?  
  
But enough about her. I'm having a great vacation no matter how much I miss you..._  
  
He couldn't bring himself to read any more. He was shocked that Lorna had written something like this... or was he really?  
  
Thinking back, he couldn't recall anything that would indicate that Marie was still interested in him. Sure, she had shrieked playfully when he had sprayed her with the hose, and she had been avoiding him the rest of the time even though the breakup had been more or less mutual, but her reluctance to see him with someone else hadn't been totally unfounded.  
  
_You'll never be able to take it to the next level... why can't she let go of all these so-called traumatic experiences of hers and get on with her life?_ Okay, okay -- it was nothing Alex hadn't said to her himself during the fight. But coming from Lorna, it sounded so damned blunt... and more than a little catty.  
  
He liked Lorna, there was no doubt about that. When she'd arrived at the Institute, swinging a wonderfully tacky fake-fur bag and with her green hair in a mulitude of braids, he'd been fascinated. She was always ready with a witty comeback and had a million stories to tell about her wild days growing up, and listened patiently and sympathetically when Alex had finally told his own tale. Yet it was clear that if they had been caught in a real battle situation, she would take no prisoners. The X-Men could have used someone like her when they had still been functioning.  
  
Aside from all that, she was great-looking, and weirdly sexy (or was that sexily weird?) and the letter, no matter what it said, did make him miss her.  
  
He had never thought about going back to Marie... after all, how exactly could you cheat with someone whom you couldn't even touch? Their relationship had been the highest level of platonic -- a mutually understood friendship as well as what he'd actually believed for a while was true love. Even her had grown on him after a while... so why had he used those as an excuse to break up with her?  
  
_Because you were scared,_ some part of him whispered. _Being involved with her wasn't normal, because she's not normal -- even by mutant standards. And part of you still wants to be normal, doesn't it? Even after all this time._  
  
He groaned. _Listen to me. We're being terrorized by an all-powerful and possibly deranged telepath, my brother's missing, and all I can think about is this seriously weird love triangle that I've somehow gotten caught up in. I mean, I knew I was in for something strange when I found out that I was a mutant, but this is ridiculous._  
  
  
  
  
  



	18. Nights Without Stars

Chapter 18: Nights Without Stars  
  
Another day without Marie had ended. This time, there were no stars in the sky; it was overcast, as if it might rain soon.  
  
Someone pounded on Kitty's door, and she rose to answer it. Lance, what are you doing here?  
  
I came to see how you were doing.  
  
You just saw me the other day. You don't have to...  
  
True. But I want to. Aren't you going to invite me in?  
  
Who do you think you are? she asked, laughing -- it sounded forced -- and holding the door open. Count Dracula?  
  
He put on a ridiculous Romanian accent. I vont to suck your blood, my beautiful kitten! In his normal voice he continued, Is everyone still okay?  
  
We've been better. The police refuse to keep looking -- they're too scared.  
  
Figures. You don't need their help. Why don't you just go looking for Xavier yourself?  
  
Ororo's been looking through some of his old files -- property records, letters, anything that might give us a clue. Nothing yet. If he has somewhere to hide, he's obviously covering his tracks. And even if we had clues, we don't have a plan. We always left that up to Scott. And he's not here.  
  
That was always the problem with you X-Geeks, Lance complained, bouncing onto her bed. You left it up to one person to figure out what you were going to do.  
  
Didn't you? I mean, didn't Mystique always call the shots? Or Mag-not-so-neato?  
  
He grinned at the nickname. Okay, yeah. But you guys totally fell apart after your leader disappeared... He trailed off, shaking his head. You know what, Kitty? You never let me get away with anything.  
  
I know. And it's just killing you, isn't it?  
  
He nodded. Cause of death: a girlfriend with a conscience. We balance each other, though. A relationship with Tabby, say, or Sara... it wouldn't last a week.  
  
Yeah, but it's not like you always _listen_ to me.  
  
he challenged.  
  
Oh, I don't know. She let herself be pulled down next to him. When I said that I didn't want to help you steal test answers, and you tried to kill me.  
  
It doesn't count! he protested. We weren't together then.  
  
But we could have been. You know, things would have been a lot easier if you had just admitted that you liked me.  
  
I didn't know it myself.  
  
He put his arm around her, and she curled up against him, not caring that the door was closed but not locked, or that Jean was right down the hall. You know what I've been thinking? he asked her.  
  
No, and neither is anyone else likely to, remember?  
  
  
  
Exactly what? she asked, perplexed.  
  
What if we taught you all to shield your thoughts, like we learned to do when Mystique sent me to spy? Remember that?  
  
Yeah, but I almost didn't. That's not a bad idea. Now, if only you could have thought about that _before_ he took over my mind the first time. She sighed. I let him get to me because I wouldn't let myself believe that you were for real. It would have been so much easier if you had really just been using me, or if we'd been able to really convert you.  
  
Seriously, can you imagine me as an X-man?  
  
She considered it. No. That uniform would look awful on you.  
  
I thought you hated the head bowl I always wore.  
  
It grew on me after a while, she admitted. But I really thought that you'd forget about the Brotherhood and decide to stay with us. She corrected herself. With me. Anything that would move us toward happily ever after?  
  
Do you still believe in that? Lance asked. Even though... He left the sentence unfinished.  
  
You don't?  
  
It's hard to say, he said. It's not like I've ever had any reason.  
  
I know, she said softly, reaching up over his shoulder and squeezing his hand.  
  
I do now, he said with a grin, turning on his side so their faces were centimeters apart.  
  
I guess it's my turn to ask if you want to stay over, she said after what seemed like an eternity of kissing.  
  
Would you like that? Lance asked.  
  
Kitty stared stared into his eyes for nearly as long a time. I wouldn't have asked you otherwise, would I?  
  
**  
  
Jean hadn't had to snoop to guess what Kitty and Lance were up to down the hall. Frankly, as long as they were being safe, it was the least of her worries. Sometimes she had to remind herself of how much Kitty had grown up.  
  
Her own sleep was fitful, when it finally came. Xavier's sneering face loomed up behind her eyes every time she closed them, and his voice seemed to whisper into her mind every time she was about to drift off.  
  
Finally, after periods of nightmare-haunted slumber and wide-eyed, fearful wakefulness, she tossed the covers aside, dressed quickly, and walked out into the still-warm night. The clock beside her bed indicated that it was almost four o'clock in the morning, but she didn't care, nor was she aware of where she was headed until she found herself curled into a ball on the small garden bench that had once been Marie's favorite place to be alone.   
  
_When you're with the X-Men, you're never alone._ She could almost hear Scott saying those words, and now it was his image that she saw in her mind, his shiny dark hair and chiseled face that lit up every time he saw her. All her memories of him seemed to float to the surface of her mind, from when they had posed for that picture together (Freddy had found it later and torn it up in a fit of jealousy)... to the nightmare on Asteroid M, when she had thought she'd lost him forever... to the horrible awkward time when they had each tried to pretend they didn't care by going off with different people, her with Duncan, him with Taryn.  
  
Their first kiss. Their coronation as Prom King and Queen. The time that he'd caught her reading one of Marie's Harry Potter books and teased her about it for days afterward (_Rogue's_ reading this, and you're acting like it's a big deal that _I_ am? she'd protested.) Long drives together, blissful nights, laughter and tears and the silence with which she'd treated him when she had refused to believe that everything she'd heard about Xavier had been true.  
  
The time she'd linked their minds together, just before they'd both left for college, so that no matter how far apart they were, neither of them would ever be alone again.  
  
_Scooter,_ she thought, using her special name for him that nobody else was allowed to use unless they wanted to be put on trash detail for all eternity. _I know I need to be strong, and I will find a way to get you back... but not before I make him pay, once and for all, for what he's done to us. That's a promise._  
  
When the voice spoke up in her head, she almost screamed again. Jean...  
  
_Get the hell out of my head, Xavier,_ she thought fiercely.  
  
Help me...  
  
_Scott?_ She hardly dared to believe it. _Is that you? Can you tell me where you are?_  
  
There was no answer. Still, she told the others as soon as they woke up. Not only does it mean that he's alive, she said, trying not to sound too hopeful, it means that Xavier hasn't managed to control him completely. But we still don't know where he is.  
  
I do, said a new voice.  
  
All eyes turned toward the door.  
  
Boy, he really likes making those dramatic entrances, Kitty remarked.


	19. Fighting Words

A/N: The scene in italics is both a flashback and an answer to X-Moonchik's request for more Scooter torture.  
  
Chapter 19: Fighting Words  
  
He has them at a mansion in Snow Valley, Massachutsetts. He plans to strike at a series of Friends of Humanity conventions. They are scum and deserve to be eliminated, but something tells me that it will not be that simple.  
  
Kitty had awakened in Lance's arms not long before, at first uncertain of what was going on. But like that fateful morning three years before, when Pietro had led them outside the Brotherhood house to find most of the X-Men there to her, she remembered in a hurry.  
  
The front room certainly hadn't gotten any smaller, but suddenly it seemed way too tiny for the veritable crowd that had gathered there. Jean didn't seem happy at all about the four new arrivals, and, like the policeman who'd arrived with Officer Halloran, kept glancing nervously at the open door. Every time she did this, Magneto's eyebrows arched until they disappeared beneath his helmet, but he made no comment, just as he had very wisely kept silent when Lance had descended the stairs without his shirt, and Kitty with hers misbuttoned -- not to mention when Lance had whispered, at her and both of them had smiled rather weakly.  
  
It'll be easy, won't it? Todd spoke up, shifting from one foot to the other. We outnumber them. We got all the cool powers. Get in, get Shades and the others, get out. Xavier can't go near your mind, um, sir...  
  
Or Lancey-Boy's, either, Pietro put in.  
  
Right. So how hard can it be?  
  
Magneto glared at him. Never underestimate your enemies, he hissed. _Ever_. Have you forgotten everything?  
  
That all depends. Todd glared back.  
  
They will defend their stronghold to the death, Ororo agreed. They're programmed, no doubt, to protect Xavier as their first priority. Just like we all once were. They'll have formed a line of defense, and all of them will have some means of fighting.  
  
Jason's powers are useless on land, Alex recalled. But he's damn good at hand-to-hand combat.  
  
And Xavier's probably erased all of Myriah's reservations about setting things on fire, Kitty added. And then there's Marie... I mean Rogue... She trailed off, and all nine of them were silent.  
  
Of course, it was Magneto who broke the silence first. The two of them are right in their awareness of what we're up against. But Toad was also right in his statement that we may very well be stronger. We have no choice but to show no mercy. He glared again, this time at each Brotherhood member in turn. And all four of you should hope that I never find out who came up with   
  
**  
  
The plan is as follows, Xavier told his small congregation of mutants. We will begin with the larger anti-mutant conventions, the ones that attract the most people.  
  
And exterminate them? Corinna wanted to know.  
  
If they put up a fight and we have no choice, force will be necessary. But my plan is to... redirect their hostility toward mutants who refuse to follow our cause.  
  
So we'll be using them to shake out nonbelievers, Scott conjectured. _Nonbelievers? My God, what is he getting us into?_  
  
Yes. Most mutants have built up a resistance to my abilities, but ordinary humans are not so lucky. Xavier suddenly looked concerned. Scott, is something wrong?  
  
He stared at the floor, suddenly ashamed and very much afraid to tell the professor what he had just remembered and what he now suspected. Maybe there was nothing to worry about. Maybe it had just been a dream. Last night... I thought I heard someone talking to me. In my head. I think I might have been dreaming, but... He shrugged helplessly. You would know better than I would.  
  
And what did it say? Xavier's knuckles whitened on the arm of his wheelchair.  
  
I don't... exactly remember. I was thinking that you could...  
  
I would be more than happy to.   
  
Scott was suddenly seized by an overwhelming sense of deja vu. He had lived out this scene before, although it had been just the two of them in the room, and the fear and desperation had been tangible between them...  
  
_...and Xavier sensed it, too. You say you've been having nightmares?  
  
It's probably nothing, Scott said.  
  
Nonsense. If you'll recall, when Rogue had a strange dream, it turned out to be the remnant of a memory she had absorbed. Things aren't always what they seem. What are these dreams about?  
  
He described the recurring nightmare of looking in the mirror and seeing no reflection, the mysterious corridor and the rows and rows of locked doors, and the strange presence that whispered and warned. _To turn your back on this is an error I cannot let you make,_ it had last told him. Y_ou have made the wrong decision..._  
  
...and you need to be corrected,' he finished sheepishly. It says that a lot, but I've never been really sure of what the right decision was. Or what I did wrong.  
  
Xavier said, but the expression on his face indicated that he was in trouble.  
  
They've been waking me up a lot lately. Like I said, they probably don't mean anything, but...  
  
Xavier indicated a chair. Please, sit down.  
  
Scott obliged. What are you going to do? he asked, trying to keep the apprehension out of his voice and failing, as Xavier wheeled himself closer.  
  
Make sure that these nightmares of yours don't return. It won't hurt you in any way.  
  
Inexplicably, Scott found himself closing his eyes, like he could somehow ignore the feeling of fingers rummaging through his mind, clouding his thoughts, driving away the fright that his nightmares had given him, oh, yes, but also...  
  
(taking over)  
  
...making sure that no doubts whatsoever would enter his mind again...  
  
(help me)  
  
I _am_ helping you, Cyclops, what are you talking about?_   
  
Xavier lifted his hands. Scott blinked, half expecting to see the professor's old office, back at the Institute in Bayville. What did you see?  
  
We have a problem.  
  
What kind of problem? Rogue demanded.  
  
Scott, the voice that you heard belonged to Jean. She has somehow been able to breach the barriers I constructed in your minds, and I fear that you have told her more than you meant to.  
  
She knows where we are, Logan stated.  
  
Yes, she does, Xavier said grimly. Scott, I know that you once loved her, but she intends to continually disrupt the lives of both humans and mutants, and make sure that the two can never make peace with each other. You must believe me!  
  
_Jean_. He could almost hear her voice again, even now, a bit frightened but so loving. Could she really be the enemy now?  
  
Rogue has the same problem dealing with the fact that she and Alex are on opposite sides.  
  
She nodded. But we'll be able to make him see the light. And hopefully, we'll be able to do the same for Jean.  
  
Let them come, Logan growled. We're ready.  
  
Xavier nodded and said the words that, only a few short days ago, Scott had never thought any of them would hear again: My X-Men, prepare for battle.   
  
  
  
  
  



	20. Into The Fire

A/N: All together now -- _Neva is not good with fight scenes._ Actually, I think I'm getting a little better, but that's for you to decide.  
  
Chapter 20: Into The Fire   
  
_How I Spent My Summer Vacation,_ Kitty thought as the jet rose into the air. _Planting bombs and dispatching evil mutants. Lovely. _ Lance? You okay? she asked, noticing that he was turning a rather nasty shade of green under his head bowl.  
  
Ever wonder why the Brotherhood doesn't have a fancy plane like this?  
  
Not really.  
  
Well, now you know. He pressed his lips together. I hate flying... I hate flying... I hate flying.  
  
Think of happy things, she suggested. Hot showers. Um, enough food to eat. Destroying Xavier once and for all.  
  
His face gradually changed back to its normal color, and his mouth curved into a slight smile. Happy things, he murmured.   
  
Jean, what's he thinking? Kitty called.  
  
Mental shields, remember? If you must know, I was thinking about last night.  
  
  
  
he mimicked. Is that all you can say?  
  
I'll think of something else after this is over.  
  
Something good?  
  
She smiled back at him. Well, we'll just see about that.  
  
Now _I_ think I'm gonna hurl, Todd announced to nobody in particular.  
  
No hurling in the X-Jet, Storm called. It's one of the few rules that we didn't do away with after we got rid of You-Know-Who the first time.  
  
Would you please, like, not call him You-Know-Who? Kitty rolled her eyes at Lance. Makes him sound like some kind of Dark Lord.  
  
I think he's halfway there, Pietro muttered.  
  
They were silent for the rest of the flight to the stronghold in Snow Valley. Kitty could see Pietro touch the satchel where the detonation devices were concealed. She had wanted no part in this, but they had agreed that it would be best. Pietro was the fastest, obviously, but doors and walls wouldn't be a problem for her. _Only as a last resort, _she chanted to herself. _A last resort._ And, after a moment, _This one's for you, Marie.   
  
_**  
  
They arrived literally at the break of dawn, and Kitty didn't know about the others, but had a funny feeling that the X-Men had known they were coming.  
  
_What tipped you off?_ she thought grimly? _The fact that they're all lined up in front of that building that might be twice the size of the Institute, looking like they mean business?_  
  
We don't want to hurt you, Cyclops called. Somehow I doubt that you're here because you've finally seen the light or realized that this is where your misinformed crusade ends.  
  
You're actually half right. Kitty's voice wasn't shaking; thank goodness for small favors. We haven't seen the light... what shall I call you? She pretended to think about it. Scott? Cyclops? Or are you even either of those people anymore? No matter. Whoever you are, you're right about one thing: it ends here.  
  
We'll just see about that, sugah, came from Rogue. And then, Kitty, I thought you were my friend. Why can't you see how misguided you were about him?  
  
You're the one who's misguided, Kitty told her. You always said that you'd rather die than let Xavier control you.  
  
Are we going to just stand here, or are we going to fight? Corinna demanded.  
  
Whatever you say, Alex gritted.  
  
Jean could see Cyclops advancing toward her, one hand raised to his visor, which he had mysteriously recovered. There was no recognition on his face, no understanding, not even the grim fortitude that used to be there while he was fighting.  
  
He grabbed her arm and twisted it behind her back, making her cry out. _It isn't Scott anymore,_ she reminded herself.  
  
I said that I don't want to hurt you, Jean, he said in her ear. And I meant it. Having you by my side is still the most important thing in the world to me. Having you on the _right_ side is only part of it. He kept a stranglehold on her. Why can't you understand what we're doing? We're eliminating both mutants and humans who pose a threat. Isn't that what you wanted in the first place?  
  
Who am I hearing? Jean whispered savagely. She could have thrown him off in a thousand different ways, but instead she squeezed her eyes shut and slipped into his mind. She had come here to help him, as she'd promised, and she wouldn't go back on that. No matter what.  
  
She became aware of the emptiness where all his free will had been sapped away, and the way his love, determination, and lingering need to make a difference had been intermingled and twisted together with Xavier's warped desires. Scooter, can you hear me?  
  
There was no reply.  
  
I know you're still in there, somewhere. He can keep you tied up and locked in a closet, but he can't destroy you. The Scott I know wouldn't let that happen. But what if he wasn't the Scott she once knew? she wondered even as she gently probed his thoughts for any trace of his former self. What if Xavier had finally succeeded in keeping him down for good?  
  
No. She wouldn't let that happen.  
  
Through his eyes, she saw Alex and Jason tussling. Alex fired a blast that sent the scale-covered boy flying against the wall, then turned on Rogue. She heard them all too clearly, and the shock of what happened next broke her concentration and sent her back into her own mind with a suddenness that made both her and Cyclops gasp.  
  
**  
  
Rogue struggled to get a hold on him, if only to stop his resistance for a little while. The others... they were the enemy. But not Alex. Xavier wanted him. And so did she... but in an entirely different way.  
  
His hands had closed around her wrists. He was holding off from zapping her, and seemed satisfied with trying to keep her from making contact. When he released her suddenly, she found herself on the ground, which had begun to shake profusely.   
  
Touch him and sap his energy, instructed a cold voice in her head. Then bring him to me.  
  
She nodded, although Xavier was nowhere to be seen, and rose to her feet, but didn't move forward. I never wanted it to be this way, she said softly.  
  
He looked pained. Me neither.  
  
I want you on my side.  
  
_You_ ? he asked with his trademark mixture of emotions, in this case surprise and bitterness. Or Xavier?  
  
Me. Haven't you figured it out yet? I still love you, Alex. And while he was standing there, stunned as the battle raged around them, she seized the front of his borrowed uniform and kissed him.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  



	21. Yesterday's Gone

Chapter 21: Yesterday's Gone  
  
She stumbled back, breaking what she knew was going to be their first and last kiss, as Alex's memories exploded inside her head like the finale of the fireworks shows she used to attend when she was little -- brilliant bursts of light and noise, all going off at once. Except now it was images of playing with Scott in the backyard when they were kids, times of indescribable happiness the night of horror, despair, and a close brush with death the night that the plane went down.  
  
Alex's new family had done the best they could, but he refused to speak to them, or anyone, for months after his parents' death. He'd spent more and more time on the beach, entranced by the way the surfers looked as they rode the waves -- weightless, graceful, in control, and so completely free. He'd vowed that he'd learn how to do that someday. Maybe he would just go out on the water and never come back.  
  
She felt the fear and confusion that he had felt when his powers first surfaced, and when he and Scott had been after entering the machine, she died and lived again right along with him. Those images had barely faded before they were replaced by the ones that she had, in a way, dreaded most: his memories of her.  
  
_It was his first morning at the Institute... if morning was really what you wanted to call it. It was almost noon by the time he descended the stairs, wondering vaguely if the events of the past couple of days had been just a dream. They sure felt like one now.   
  
The front room was empty except for one of the girls from Xavier's squad -- the one with the white streaks in her hair. The see-through dress over the tight halter and skirt looked better on her than that uniform. Uh, hi, he said.   
  
she drawled. If you wanna call it that.  
  
Where is everyone?  
  
was the reply. They're training, and Scott's makin' sure they don't kill each other.  
  
So this is where you guys all live? God, why couldn't he take his eyes off her? You, and Scott, and that guy with the claws, and... everyone else?  
  
Got it in one. She paused. Look, you saved all our lives, you know that? And you don't even know all our names.  
  
Alex ran a hand through his blond hair. What's your name, then? he asked.  
  
  
  
That's cool. What's your real name?  
  
She looked confused.   
  
I mean, Scott calls himself Cyclops. I called myself Havok -- well, I did for a little while. Is Rogue a name like that, too?  
  
She smiled briefly. It's the only name you're ever gonna need to know. Do you want... something to eat... or something?  
  
Sure. Breakfast would be good. Or lunch, now, I guess.  
  
And then you can meet the others, I guess. She said this with some relief, like she'd be glad to have him off her case.  
  
He tried to hide his disappointment. I guess._  
  
Memories of their first date, the first time they'd danced, the night they'd found out that Xavier had been controlling Scott's mind... the news that Rogue had come close to sharing that same fate... when he thought he'd lost her... the first time they'd said they loved each other... and finally, the fight that had split them apart.  
  
The time that followed, after he and Lorna had started dating, was tinged with a sadness that neither girl had seen. He and the green-haired mutant could indeed go to the next level as she had put it... and they did. Rogue tried to shield herself from these memories, and was later glad she didn't, because the thought that came next was worth it: _She's great -- fantastic -- but she isn't Marie._  
  
Now, she stared at him in horror as he lay on the ground. He was barely breathing. _What have I done?_ she wondered as soon as she could process her own thoughts again. _Xavier, you sick freak, what did you make me do?_  
  
She knelt down beside Alex's fallen form. I'm so sorry, she whispered, still reeling at her own gullibility and no longer fully aware of her surroundings. The fact that Xavier had managed to... even for a little while... it sickened her and infuriated her, but it didn't bring tears. For the first time in her life, she _wanted_ to cry like she had done on that night. She wanted the tears to fall on his face and wake him up, even though she knew all too well that it didn't work like that. Alex, please wake up, I love you. I'm sorry.  
  
**  
  
Jean turned on Cyclops. See what he made her do?  
  
Xavier had nothing to do with this, he insisted.  
  
Really? Do you really think that? Do you think he didn't want us all to be here, fighting each other, like Magneto had us fight each other once upon a time? The winners will be the new X-Men. Those who don't learn from the past are doomed to repeat it, Scott. She gestured at Alex and Rogue. Your brother is one of the fallen. You always said that you wouldn't let anything happen to him. And look at him now. Look at yourself, too. Scott, please. Don't let this keep happening. Even before, you weren't really free, were you? None of us were, because we were still afraid. Make it so we don't have to be afraid anymore.  
  
His face twisted, then softened somehow. My God, he whispered, releasing her. Instead of moving toward Alex, however, he turned and ran toward the mansion.  
  
Myriah snapped. What are you doing?  
  
Jean wondered the same thing, but he was apparently ignoring them both. Lance, cut it out! she shouted. He was still standing there, his hands in tight fists, trying, with a fair amount of success, to collapse the fortress. He stopped when he heard her, but she had a horrible feeling that it might be too late.   
  
**  
  
A closer look revealed to Marie that Alex was breathing again. He would wake up eventually, she knew that. He would recover. But would he forgive her?  
  
Someone touched her shoulder.   
  
She startled at the voice, reacting instinctively, shrieking and connecting her hand with Storm's face. It was the white-haired woman's turn to drop, stunned, just as she had three years before, when they had been in the process of trying to recruit a frightened young girl who couldn't touch people without hurting them.  
  
And now, again like that time, Rogue could barely contain the power she had absorbed. She felt herself rising to meet the rapidly brightening sky. Lightning swirled around her head. Kitty screamed and ran to help her, but missed.  
  
A bolt of lightning arced and struck Xavier's fortress. It was made of wood, not stone like the Institute, and would easily catch fire.  
  
And Scott was still inside.  
  
**  
  
Xavier smelled the smoke in time. The fire had begun in the back of the house. By the time it spread, he and his X-Men would be safely out of harm's way.  
  
Rogue had already felled two of the enemy. She had done well. Once the two of them recovered, he would be outside... and they would be his. And they would relocate in a place not so prone to natural disasters. Including earthquakes, of course. He would make sure, this time, to completely eradicate Shadowcat's devotion to the degenerate who had become her lover. Poor misguided child.  
  
The elevator touched the ground floor.  
  
The door was straight ahead.  
  
Not so fast, _Professor_. The last word was so full of contempt that Xavier had almost to turn his head before he knew whom this voice belonged to.  
  
A/N: Okay, everyone who missed this before: should Scooter survive? I could go either way at this point.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  



	22. Eternal Flames

A/N: You guys are no fun. Seriously.  
  
Chapter 22: Eternal Flames  
  
Scott stood just a few feet away, hand raised to the knob of his visor.  
  
Scott, what are you doing? Xavier asked, shocked.  
  
Now it's my turn to lapse into cliches,' Scott said grimly. How's this? I'm going to stop you from hurting any more people, if it's the last thing I ever do.  
  
It might very well be.  
  
He took another step forward. We looked to you because we needed something to believe in. We needed someone to tell us that we weren't worthless. We looked to you for control. Now he was smiling, but the smile would not have reached his eyes had they been visible. And we found that, all right. I know that you never saw me as a human being who could make independent decisions. When did you stop seeing the others that way? When did we just become weapons in your war against Magneto? He told Jean where you were, Professor. All I did was give her hope, because she needs that.  
  
I could have given her hope, Xavier said icily. She chose to go against me, and I gave her that choice. Up until now, I believed you to be too valuable to lose.  
  
Shut up. He could suddenly hear her voice in his head, telling him to get out of there. I'm fine, he sent back. I have to do this. I'll be back.  
  
I don't think I will. I think you know as well as I do that you are incapable of surviving without another mind to guide you. Why do you think you sought Jean out? Xavier shook his head in disgust. Perhaps it's a blessing that your parents never learned how weak you really are.  
  
Rage began to boil up inside Scott, rage that he longed to release through his eyes right then and there. I'm not listening.  
  
Just as I thought. You are merely a misdirected child, just like the rest of the world. My other X-Men, the Brotherhood, ordinary humans. All children who have made the wrong decisions, and need to be corrected.  
  
He gritted his teeth against the smooth voice in his head. The most powerful telepath in the known universe, and you still have no idea how sick I am of hearing you say that. He took another step forward.  
  
Cyclops, stop! I command you!  
  
The smile turned cold and determined. Scott said, almost cheerfully. Never heard of him.  
  
He opened his visor, not even caring that the flames had now spread, blocking his only exit.  
  
**  
  
Where is he? Jean screamed. Pietro was holding her back while Toad was trying to get a hold on Rogue (who would probably want to die again when she found out who had saved her). The fire shone through the windows. It was inside her, burning her, too.  
  
Jean, there's nothing we can do now. Pietro's voice in her ear, slower than usual and strangely compelling.  
  
He was strong for someone so skinny, but she broke free anyway and ran toward the flaming house. Someone blocked her way. Hands on her shoulders, high-pitched voice telling her to get a grip.  
  
Jean, you're not going in there! Kitty said firmly. There's no way you can get in there.  
  
_I am not losing Scott!_ Jean screamed into her face.  
  
I said there was no way for _you_ to get in there, Kitty continued. But I could.  
  
Are you insane? Lance demanded.  
  
I can become, like, insubstantial, remember? The fire can't hurt me. She grabbed his hand and squeezed it briefly. I'll be fine. Look after her, okay? And she took off for the house at a run. Lance watched her disappear through the wall.  
  
_Literally walking through fire for the people she cares about,_ he thought. _I am going to marry this girl if it kills me._ He watched the place burn, barely aware of Rogue's gradual descent. He tried to fix Kitty's face in his mind, just in case this was   
  
_(please don't let it be)_  
  
the last time he'd ever see her.  
  
_We did not come this far just to lose each other. It's not supposed to turn out like that.  
  
Why not? You could also argue that your mom wasn't supposed to ditch you, your dad wasn't supposed to drive his car off a cliff, and you weren't supposed to get sent to four different foster homes, each one a different kind of hell. You could say that Mystique and Magneto weren't supposed to leave you guys to fend for yourselves. Hey, you could even say that Xavier's dream for a better future wasn't supposed to turn into this nightmare. Things don't always happen the way they're supposed to. And there isn't always a happily ever after. Not even when it involves the best thing to ever happen to you._  
  
**  
  
Gloved fingers gently caressing his face.  
  
The sky, now so blue and cheerful, flat above him.  
  
A girl's voice, calling his name softly. Was it Lorna? No, it wasn't. Alex whispered.  
  
Right here. She looked so sad. Alex, I'm so...  
  
he repeated. So you said.  
  
Rogue blinked. You heard me?  
  
Sort of. He sat up. It's okay. I know you didn't know what you were doing.  
  
When most people wake up from being brainwashed, they don't remember. There were tears on her face, but none in her voice. I wish I didn't.  
  
I don't think you wish that. He wrapped one arm around her shoulders. Who would want to forget their first kiss?  
  
She smiled against his chest. So I guess that you also remember what I said just before... talk about stupid things to do...  
  
She looked up at him. I still feel the same way, and I'll worry about what that means later. What happened here? Where's Scott?  
  
I dunno. I was pretty out of it myself.  
  
Both of them stood up. He gazed at the fire for a moment, then at Jason, who had long since risen and joined Myriah and Corinna in a frightened knot. Alex stood open-mouthed, then connected the dots himself. he said flatly.   
  
Maybe it's not what it looks like, Marie whispered.  
  
Alex made his way over to Jean. How could you have let him... He couldn't finish his sentence.  
  
It might not be what it looks like, Marie repeated. But one way or another, he's free.  
  
As if on cue, two figures slowly emerged from an untouched wall. There was no dramatic music, no fanfare. There was just Kitty, who was clearly spent by the consistent use of her power; Lance, who reached her just in time to catch her as she fell; Scott, who moved toward Jean and stood half-stunned as she put her arms around him; and the fire that raged a few yards away, a blazing beacon, showing them and the world that this time, it was truly over.  
  



	23. Independence Day

A/N: This chapter could easily be called, "When The Going Gets Cute." Jilly and other Dark Angel fans know what I mean by that. The song, by the way, belongs to the Pretenders.  
  
Chapter 23: Independence Day  
  
Xavier's demise hit the news before you could say, "Better to be a psychopath with some integrity than a telepath with none." No mention was made of a group of young men and women who looked like something out of a comic book. When Ororo Munroe was named as one of his heirs, every major tabloid in the country pointed accusing fingers, headlines screeching about foul play. But their accusations were never followed up on, mostly because it wasn't considered good policy to base investigations on a newspaper whose top story had one been "Abraham Lincoln Was A Woman In Disguise!'  
  
After getting off the phone with Lorna, Alex told Marie that the fact that Lorna had guessed ahead of time that he was still very much in love with his old girlfriend didn't much help matters. "How come everyone figured it out except me?" he complained.  
  
Kitty recovered eventually, with Lance hovering over her every chance he got and some that he didn't.  
  
Scott didn't fare so well. When Jean rapped on the door of their room on the Fourth of July, there was no reply. She eased open the door to find him standing in the middle of the room, talking a mile a minute. "X-Men, attack!" he shouted to nobody. "Go from all sides -- make sure they can't get past you. Remember what the professor said! Remember what he said! He's always right!"  
  
"Scott, what are you doing?"  
  
He didn't hear her, but kept barking out orders. His only acknowledgment of her presence was to scream when she tried to enter his mind.  
  
She shut the door quietly and rested her head against the wall, feeling more helpless than ever.  
  
A little while later, she heard the door open again, heard her name.  
  
It was her turn not to answer.  
  
The door was open a crack, and Scott was peering outside. "Jean, I'm so sorry. I was sleepwalking, I think. Remember how Kitty did that after she was brainwashed?"  
  
She opened her eyes.  
  
"I scared you, didn't I?"  
  
"You think?" she whispered. She let him pull her all the way into the room. Since the fire, he'd been withdrawn and silent, sleeping a lot and tending to jump at loud noises. It was even worse than the way he had been after Xavier had been taken away the first time. But now... had Scott finally been driven insane?  
  
"I'm scared, too," he went on. "When he was still here, I used to wake up sometimes and I was sure he'd been watching me while I slept. He never was, of course."  
  
Jean nodded. The truth had been even worse.  
  
"That's how it feels now. I close my eyes and it's like he's back in my mind. This is the first time I've ever walked in my sleep, but you know that I've been having real bad-ass nightmares." Now he actually smiled. "I guess we're back at square one, huh?"  
  
Jean stared at the floor, then looked him in the face. "We survived it before," she said, trying to sound strong. "That means we can survive it again."  
  
They moved until they were sitting on the bed together. She wrapped her arms around him from behind. "I miss him," he whispered. "You can't tell anyone. I know that he controlled my mind and did horrible things, but I... I can't help it..."  
  
"Shhh. Don't say anything else." She smoothed his hair, and this time, he didn't flinch when her hands touched his head. Softly, not caring how corny it sounded or felt, she began to sing.  
  
_Hey, why you look so sad?  
The tears are in your eyes  
Come on and come to me now  
Don't be ashamed to cry  
Let me see you through  
'Cause I've seen the dark side too  
When the night falls down on you  
You don't know what to do  
Nothing you confess  
Could make me love you less  
I'll stand by you._  
  
Slowly, he reached up and clasped her hand, rocking back and forth to the rhythm.  
  
_So, if you're mad, get mad  
Don't hold it all inside  
Come on and talk to me now  
Hey, what you got to hide?  
I get angry, too  
Yeah, I'm a lot like you.  
When you're standing at the crossroads  
You don't know which path to choose  
Let me come along  
'Cause even if you're wrong  
I'll stand by you._  
  
They stayed like that, in silence, for a long time. Neither of them wanted to say what both of them feared: that they could leave the Institute (which Jean had secretly been dreaming of doing anyway), start a family (which he didn't know she knew he wanted), and try to build normal lives (which was more than either of them had ever dared to hope for), but they still wouldn't be free of Xavier. He had brought them together and torn their lives apart, and it was uncertain, now, whether the scars would ever heal.  
  
**   
  
Erik Magnus Lensherr replaced his hat and stepped out onto the porch, where Pietro was standing in the shadows, his face illuminated by the glow of a cigarette. When he heard the footsteps behind him, he looked up guiltily, looking for all the world like... well, like a nineteen-year-old boy whose father had just caught him by surprise. "Are you leaving again?" he asked.  
  
Erik nodded. "You seem to be doing better for yourselves than I expected."  
  
"Lance probably isn't going to be hanging around here much longer," Pietro said to avoid the silence. "He's going to want to get a place of his own, so he and Kitty..." He stopped abruptly.  
  
"I suspected as much. He was correct when he informed me that things had changed. The four of you are now living your own lives." Pietro waited. "And I have no problem with that."  
  
"You mean, now that it's over?"  
  
"It is _not_ over," Erik said sharply, now sounding like his old self. "The public opinion toward mutants has not changed, and there are still more battles to be fought." He gave a very un-Magneto-like sigh. "But I must confess that it was not only because of those battles that I returned."  
  
Pietro nodded, unsure of whether it was his place to say it. He couldn't very well ask permission. He knew that he had to just say it -- not for the first time and probably not for the last, he had to take a chance. "I've missed you."  
  
His father stared for a moment, then nodded again. Faint explosions of light flashed in the sky above, mostly hidden by trees and houses. The fireworks were beginning.  
  
**  
  
"Beautiful, isn't it?" Kitty whispered. She and Lance were huddled together in his jeep, which was parked on the bluff overlooking the city.  
  
"Hang on, I wanna get this exactly right." He cleared his throat several times. "Yeah, they are," he said in an overly throaty voice. "But not as beautiful as you."  
  
She giggled.  
  
"Was that right?"  
  
"It'll do. I have an overwhelming urge to kiss you, if that means anything."  
  
"Nobody's stopping you."  
  
After a couple of minutes, he sighed and sat back. "I can't believe it."  
  
"Me, neither. It all seems so unreal. I keep thinking that I'm going to wake up in my bed back at the Institute, it'll be three years ago, and you'll never have come to spy on us. Or even in my bed at home, and I was never even a mutant."  
  
"Hey!" Lance exclaimed. "What makes you so sure that this is your dream? It could be mine."  
  
"No, your dream would be a lot weirder."  
  
"And a lot more interesting."  
  
"Perish the thought. But I guess we all know whose dream it really is."  
  
"Was," he corrected her. "Does the dream go on after the dreamer dies, I wonder?"  
  
She stared at him in the dark, unable to believe what she'd heard. "I didn't know you were the philosophical type."  
  
"Well, there are a lot of things you don't know about me, Kitty," he said pompously.  
  
"I have all summer to learn."  
  
That reminded him of something that he'd almost forgotten about. "Hey, Kitty?"  
  
"Mmmm?"  
  
"Remember how the cretins I live with made that bet?"  
  
"Uh-huh."  
  
"And you know how I asked, what if we..." He stopped.  
  
"Got married," she prompted.  
  
"Yeah, that. And you asked if I was kidding, and I said I was."  
  
"Uh-huh," she said again.  
  
"Well, I wasn't, you know."  
  
She turned and faced him, the glow from the light show illuminating her face. She had never looked more beautiful. "I know," she said softly, and they kissed again. Far above, flowers of light bloomed in the sky, and with them, new promises.  
  



	24. Epilogue

A/N: Whew! I wasn't sure how to do this epilogue without sounding sappy. If you haven't read Volume Two of the saga, _Something More Than This_, you probably won't understand who Sara is.  
  
Epilogue  
  
Sara Grey wasn't planning on taking a very close look at any of the books that had recently arrived at the store where she worked. For a moment she stood there, staring, then blinked to see if she was hallucinating. But there it was -- the title, _Behind the Masks: A Firsthand Account of the Mutant Experience_, and the author's name, like a voice out of the past: Katherine Pryde Alvers.  
  
Sara knew about what had happened to Xavier six years ago, but she'd made no attempt to contact Jean afterward. Nor did she think of herself as a mutant any longer, even though that might have to change, with all this talk about registration that was going down. She'd occasionally wondered how Pietro and the other members of the Brotherhood were getting on, but she had never asked. That part of her life was over.  
  
Even so, something inside her wouldn't let her leave that damn book alone. She bought it with the money she was going to spend on a movie that evening, and took it back to her apartment, where she lived alone. She had always preferred being by herself, one more reason why the X-Geek life hadn't been for her.  
  
The first page she opened to was the dedication: _For my parents, who were with me through the whole thing. For my family, especially Rogue, who gave me the courage I needed. And for Lance, who rocks my world._  
  
Curled up in her basket chair, Sara smiled in spite of herself. She turned to the page headed,   
  
_We all know how it feels to be alone. Growing up, most of us feel like the whole world is against us, like we have to either keep our true selves locked inside or tell the entire world. And for some of us, that choice is one that we have to live with for the rest of our lives. It's a decision faced by every minority whose difference from the norm isn't obvious. It was the choice I had to make, when I first found out that I was a mutant.  
  
Not everyone does have that choice_, Sara thought. Apparently, Kitty still believed that things were that simple.  
  
_The world still isn't fond of mutants, and that's something that most of us are going to have to live with for a long time yet. There's no simple way to people understand, to prepare them for the intrusion of a new race. We shouldn't even assume that we automatically have the right to them understand, just because we have powers and they don't. The only thing we can do is make it up as we go along and try not to give in to their fear.  
  
Because they are afraid of us. There's no denying that. And most of us are afraid, too. But I'm not going to keep telling you things that you already know. I'm going to tell you that once upon a time, fighting to survive wasn't the only option. Mutants had a place to go, a safe haven, where they could learn to control their powers and be protected from persecution. It sounds almost too good to be true, right? It was. I should know. I was there._  
  
Sara smirked. _Yeah, and so was I. But then, I don't know what I'm talking about. After all, I was the one who was brainwashing all of you. Right?_  
  
But of course she hadn't been. Xavier had. She wondered if Kitty was actually going to mention his name.  
  
She kept reading. Her questions, it seemed, were answered in the last paragraphs of the preface.  
  
_I'm not going to tell you the whole truth, but you can count on me for the truth and nothing but. Most names have been kept the same, but locations have been changed in order to protect the innocent. I may be keeping things from you, but I'm not going to lie. I spent a sizeable chunk of my teenage years lying to my parents, my school friends, and, most of all, to myself.  
  
I owe all my thanks to the people who appear in these pages, the ones who were always there for me and made my experience less of a hell that it could have been. Scott, Jean, Marie, Lance, Ororo, Logan, Kurt, and Sara are the main ones. You'll meet them sooner or later.  
  
With this book, I hope to open the eyes of both mutants and humans. It's not something that I ever expect to completely happen, but whatever else I can (and will) say about Xavier, he taught us that there's nothing that isn't worth fighting for.  
  
So come back to me, please, to a time in the very recent past when the existence of mutants was kept a secret more because of their own fear than humanity's, when a dream for the future had not yet become a nightmare, and when a naive little Chicago airhead only wanted to make it through high school in one piece..._  
  
Sara had only meant to read the preface and feed the cats and start dinner for herself, but she found herself only rising once to fix herself a sandwich, which she ate while she read. The story that unfolded before her belonged mainly to Kitty, but she also saw the histories of the other X-Geeks... including herself, even when her name didn't appear on the pages. She recognized parts of herself in every outcast, just like she'd done for the last ten years.  
  
Her time at That Place was duly chronicled:  
  
_I don't know what ever happened to Sara, and even when I saw her again, briefly, I never really got a chance to tell her what a good friend she was to me and Rogue, or how sorry I was for siding against her once upon a time. I don't think Jean ever got the chance to say everything she wanted to, either. But that's just my humble opinion._  
  
And later:  
  
_Did I do the right thing when I saved Scott but left Xavier? I don't know. There wasn't a whole lot of time to think about it when it was actually happening. It's probably going to haunt me for a long time, just like the voices in Marie's head, or Scott's continuing fear that Xavier is going to come after him someday, or a thousand and one more guilts that anyone, regardless of their genes, is bound to have._  
  
The book kept Sara up late into the night, and her eyes stayed open and her brain kept whirring for long after she had closed it.  
  
The next day, after work, she went home and dialled her parents' old number.  
  
It was time to start clearing out some ghosts of her own.  
  
A/N: And that, as they say, is that. Of course, I had no idea where it would lead when a friend and I began the story that would become Shaky Ground last summer. I was interested in writing an X-Men story with her, but she had only seen Evo, and when I went back home, I got her permission to post an alternate version. She's gone over countless story scenarios with me, and was the one who turned me on to the idea that someone whose mind was being controlled (Scott) was to be pitied, not hated. She also coined The story is so much better because of her constant support. Thanks, Sarah.  
  
Thanks to my muse, for being such a good sport throughout the founding and flourishing of the anti-Xavier trend.  
  
And, of course, thanks to ALL MY READERS! I could fool myself into thinking that the Anti-Xavier Cause wouldn't exist without me. Not so. It wouldn't have happened if there was nobody to support it. And I wouldn't be where I am, or what I am (one unbelievably happy messiah) if it weren't for your encouragement.  
  
I'm currently working on something of a prequel, which will focus on some of my original characters. And some other various projects. ::Evil laughter:: You haven't seen the last of me! ::More evil laughter::  
  
LONG LIVE THE CAUSE!!!!  
  
I love you all,  
Neva


End file.
